On Oct. 24, the Students for International Labor Solidarity at NYU staged a lie-in in front of the Kimmel Center for University Life demanding that NYU disclose the factories that make the school’s merchandise. The group voiced ethical concerns surrounding NYU’s merchandising partners’ labor practices. A week prior, these students protested the same poor labor practices outside of Kimmel.
Concerns surrounding factory production, unfair labor wages , and greenwashing within Nike, Lululemon and other apparel companies have fueled student outrage, following years of protests whose claims have yet to be completely addressed by the administration. The fact that NYU has yet to release their labor practices is problematic, and it is all the more concerning that it continues to do so amidst continued student outrage.
This is not the first time the university has stayed silent about associated companies’ labor practices, and this is a pattern that cannot continue. Two years ago , in October 2024, SILS advocated for NYU to terminate its contract with Nike over the wage theft the company committed towards Thailand factory workers. In February 2025 , the group sarcastically sent Valentine’s Da...