Tulane is committed to conducting its business in a socially responsible manner. Tulane expects the same of its long-term vendors whose employees have a material presence on campus. To facilitate this goal, Tulane has created this Vendor Labor Code of Conduct as a means of ensuring that such vendors share the same commitment to fair labor practices as does Tulane.
Application
This Vendor Code of Conduct applies to all vendors described above whom the University enters into long-term contracts to provide services on any of its campuses and whose employees have a material presence on campus. For purposes of this Code of Conduct, “long-term contract” shall mean contracts of five years or longer. To determine the length of the contract, the initial term and any renewal periods will be aggregated. For purposes of this Code of Conduct, “material presence on campus” shall mean that the contract requires the vendor to employ at least 15 employees on a full-time, regular basis and that those employees will actively work on campus throughout the term of the proposed contract.
Information to be Provided During the Negotiation Process
When the University considers a vendor who will be subject to this policy, the vendor will be required to provide documentation to the University that demonstrates the vendor has and communicates to its employees the following:
- An employee grievance and discipline procedure;
- An outline of the vendors’ expectations on the topics mentioned in the Tulane Staff Handbook section on “Standards of Conduct”;
- Detailed wage structures, including descriptions of how employees advance within the company;
- Detailed employee benefits information which includes a description of the benefits and the requirements that must be met for employee eligibility for these benefits.
In addition, during the course of contract negotiations, vendors must submit to the University the vendor’s wage structure as to enable the University to assess whether the wages proposed are consistent with its standards of fairness and equitable treatment. All information provided by vendors as part of this process will be considered by Tulane and serve as one factor in Tulane’s decision about which vendor to select for the provision of services.
Mandatory Contractual Provisions
Tulane will insist on the following non-negotiable contract term:
- “Contractor shall comply, and shall ensure that its agents, officers, directors, employees, representatives, servants and vendors materially comply with all applicable federal, state and local laws, rules, regulations and ordinances in its performance pursuant to this Agreement. In particular and without limitation, Contractor will materially comply with all federal, state and local laws regarding equal employment opportunity and nondiscrimination, the Fair Labor Standards Act, the National Labor Relations Act, and the Occupational Safety and Health Act, and with Tulane’s Non-Discrimination and Harassment Policy.”
