Protest signs, fliers and masses of students could be a common sight on MSU’s campus during Students for Economic Justice’s first Sweatshop Awareness Week.

The week’s events began Monday as group members were outside Wells Hall for six hours with information about the activist group’s cause.

Members are lobbying for the administration to join the Worker Rights Consortium and end its contract with New Era Cap Co. The New York-based company has been surrounded by allegations of keeping sweatshop conditions at its Derby, N.Y., plant. Workers at the Derby plant have been on strike since July citing reported injuries, jeopardized unions and severe wage cuts.

MSU administrators sent a letter to New Era in February letting the company know the university is aware of the sweatshop allegations. The university’s contract with the company will not be renewed if New Era does not join the Fair Labor Association.

Sweatshop Awareness Week was created as a means of educating the student body as well as putting pressure on the administration to recognize the student group’s concerns.

“We’re going to put general pressure on the administration to recognize the issues and put general awareness on the student body that there are issues,” said James Peterson, a no-preference sophomore and group member. “Basically we want awareness, education and hopefully increased action by the students.”

MSU officials declined comment on the week’s events because some of them include activities related to the university’s ongoing negotiations with the Graduate Employees Union. The union has been bargaining with the university for a contract since October.

Today’s Grand River Avenue business tour will consist of a skit and the discussion of worker rights and possible violations of them by area businesses.

“We’re going to walk around and we’re going to point out the specific businesses and how either their products or they themselves treat workers, as far as our research shows,” Peterson said.

Various student organizations will participate in “Screaming at the Wall,” a demonstration to be held at noon Friday in front of the Administration Building.

“There’s been so much going on the administration has been lacking responsiveness,” Peterson said. “It’s like talking to a wall. It’s an opportunity to express our frustration with the administration.

“Hopefully, the administration will start to recognize that it’s not just this little group of students who are interested in this.”

Lauren Kenczyk, a Spanish freshman, said she is unfamiliar with the student activist group and doesn’t plan to participate in any of the events. She hadn’t heard about any labor problems involving the university.

“I probably won’t (participate),” she said. “I really don’t have a lot of time this week.”

But Peterson said the success of Sweatshop Awareness Week is dependent on students.

“I think it would help us to have a larger percentage of the student body behind us. I don’t know functionally what pressure it puts on the administration, but I think the more solidarity we have with other students the more important and successful this will be.”