The emergence of a new student organization occurred this semester.

Students Against Sweatshops is a labor solidarity group consisting of more than 20 members whose focus is to promote awareness of harsh and unfair working conditions for employees in the DeKalb area and beyond.

“The definition of a sweatshop is broad,” said SAS member Carl Lindskoog. “A sweatshop occurs anytime workers are being mistreated.”

SAS is working on numerous projects. Currently, they are interested in helping NIU civil service workers to organize a union. They’re also working to rid Cintas as a corporate sponsor for the Career Planning and Placement Center.

“Cintas has a long history of discrimination and exploitation of their workers. … They don’t allow their workers to unionize, and they are breaking federal labor laws,” Lindskoog said.

Cintas vice president of finance William Gale disagrees with SAS.

“Those allegations are totally false,” Gale said. “This organization has no idea what they’re talking about. We have happy employees.”

Lindskoog said SAS attempted to get the director of Career Planning and Placement, Robert Short, to sign a non-renewal letter with Cintas, but he refused.

“Cintas has not been in violation of our agreement as far as campus recruiting or at our job fairs and that is why I didn’t sign their [SAS] letter,” Short said.

Not only does SAS tackle employee rights issues, but they will tackle student concerns as well. One such issue is free speech zones around campus. Lindskoog said it is unfair that NIU only has three free speech zones; one of which is in a small section of the King Memorial Commons.

Students Against Sweatshops meets at 9 to 10 p.m. Wednesdays at DuSable Hall, Room 248.