Once again an \opinion"" is expressed, citing alleged comments and decisions attributed to persons who have never been contacted by the columnist. In this case, Sarah Turner's column lacks accuracy regarding the sweatshop issue and how it's being handled now on campus (""UW's sweatshop stance defies university's goals,"" Nov. 28).
First, UW-Madison, the Shared Governance Committee on Labor Licensing and interested groups such as the Student Labor Action Coalition have been in regular and close communication on these issues since summer 2001, when the chancellor asked me to lead our efforts regarding fair labor issues in the companies that manufacture apparel with the UW-Madison name or logo. The chancellor did not just choose any staffer out of the directory. I am the chancellor's special assistant for community and local government relations, and I both speak for him and the administration on these and other issues, and report directly to him.
Second, the recent forum on sweatshop issues featuring representatives from the Worker Rights Consortium and the Fair Labor Association was organized by LLC and me. The next forum, on Dec. 4, has also been planned with the input of LLC, and SLAC has taken a leadership role as well. I attended the last forum and will attend Dec. 4 and represent the chancellor. The new provost attended the earlier forum as well. So, Chancellor John Wiley did have a chance to hear the students' and the public's input on the value of membership in either or both the WRC and FLA. We remain an active member of the WRC. Another forum has already been agreed to that will be held during the second semester, where we hope to reprise the WRC and FLA format planned this fall.
Third, there is a way for students to know whether UW-Madison apparel is made under safe and fair labor conditions. Students can attend LLC meetings, which are held every two weeks. Students can be members of the LLC. The current student member(s) had great difficulty getting students to fill the three seats reserved for students. Only one of the two students who are currently members attends regularly, and there is still a vacancy. Also, through our membership in the WRC, independent monitoring efforts can be launched.
Daily Cardinal readers should also know that in order for any company to be licensed to manufacture or sell UW-Madison logo apparel, it must agree to complete disclosure about the locations and other details concerning the plants used to make apparel. This full disclosure policy was originally proposed by UW-Madison officials while we were members of the FLA, and the policy now affects WRC, FLA and the more than 450 licensed companies doing business with us. Readers should also know that every entity involved is relatively new to the situation. While the FLA has conducted no investigations, WRC has only completed one.
Finally, Turner said that I ""agreed"" to send a letter to licensees, when in fact, while I was asked to do so, I replied that the LLC would review the request. After consultation with the chancellor, I reported to the LLC that to encourage the use of one company over another was not an appropriate business practice. We have many other licensees that would not receive such an endorsement, even though their labor practices may also be labor-friendly.
UW-Madison is committed to working with companies that are safe and implementing fair labor practices as our licensing agreements require. We have responded recently (non-renewal of license agreement with New Era Cap Co.), and in the past, to companies that do not adhere to our standards. We have joined with other universities and colleges across the nation through the WRC to promote safe and fair working conditions. We welcome student and other public participation in our efforts.
