Ask Warren Buffett: When Will YOU Rein-in Russell?

Over thirty major universities have taken steps to take away Russell Athletic's license to use their logos because of its labor rights violations in Honduras. How many more schools will have to join them take before Russell's parent company, Berkshire Hathaway Inc., tells Russell that it's time to start respecting workers rights?

Now's your chance to have this question asked to Berkshire's multi-billionaire CEO, Warren Buffett. This Saturday, May 2, Berkshire Hathaway Inc., is having its annual shareholders meeting, a massive 25,000 person event, in Omaha, Nebraska.

At the meeting, Warren Buffett will be fielding questions submitted by email to journalists Becky Quick of CNBC and Andrew Ross Sorkin of the New York Times. Not surprisingly, both went to schools that have already
cut-off Russell's licenses -- Rutgers (Quick) and Cornell (Sorkin).

Here's your chance to ask these journalists to pose to Buffett this million-dollar question: "Doesn't the fact that their alma maters - and so many other schools - have stopped doing business with Russell over labor violations in Honduras, mean that it's time to rein in the company's worker rights-abusing ways?"

Please take action by sending the sample question below (or any question you like better) to Becky Quick and Andrew Ross Sorkin.

Dear [ Decision Maker ] ,

As both CNBC.com and the New York Times have reported, in recent months many major US universities, including Rutgers and Cornell, have terminated the license of Berkshire Hathaway subsidiary Russell Athletic to make their college logo apparel - a $5 billion market - over the issue of repeated and severe violations of workers rights in Russell's factories in Honduras. (For media coverage of this controversy, see http://www.workersrights.org/MediaCoverage-Russell.asp)

Among the schools terminating Russell because of its recent history of labor rights abuses are both top academic institutions such as Harvard and Stanford and collegiate sports powerhouses, including three of the NCAA Men's Final Four.

Please ask Mr. Buffett:

"Berkshire's Russell Athletic division has been the subject of much controversy on college campuses recently, with many universities terminating Russell's licenses to make and sell their logo sweatshirts and t-shirt due to Russell having repeatedly violated worker rights in its garment factories in Central America. Doesn't the fact that schools like Cornell and Rutgers are now canceling these licensing deals over this issue suggest that Berkshire Hathaway needs to pay more attention to the labor and human rights practices of its portfolio companies?"

Thank you!

Sincerely,

Campaign Launched:
April 30, 2009