Members of the Student Organization for Labor Equity (SOLE) ended Their 51-hour occupation of President Lee C. Bollinger‘s office at noon on March 19 with a press conference in front of the Fleming Building.

The “No Sweat 30” exited the building to cheers of about 75 supporters, indicating that the University had come forth with the strongest code of conduct of any school, but “only because of the continued commitment of students,” said SOLE member Salad Ahmed.

He cited as “victories” the inclusion of provisions related to women’s rights; full disclosure of the locations of manufacturing facilities, allowing independent monitoring; appointment of an advisory committee; and a wage that will meet basic needs.

Noting that the administration “won’t accept a timeline on wages,” Ahmed said that the code of conduct released by the University March 18 “is not a final agreement. We accept this only as a down payment.”

An additional continuing sticking point is whether the University will sign the Apparel Industry Partnership and Fair Labor Association (AIP/FLA) code, which SOLE criticizes for lacking commitments to a defined living wage, public disclosure and independent monitoring.

The students said that Bollinger has indicated the University will not “sign on” to the AIP/FLA code without further discussion with SOLE. They hope to make an appointment with University officials within a week to present their critique of that code.