Signaling a possible end to the university administration's stonewalling on the debate over university clothing and sweatshop labor, Chancellor John Wiley urged students to purchase UW-licensed apparel at rock bottom prices before it is too late.
'For a limited time you can get hundreds, no, thousands of Badger products at incredibly low, low prices!' Wiley said in a taped advertisement to air on local television stations. 'Get that Bucky t-shirt or sweatshirt cheap before our suppliers have to pay their workers a living wage.'
Increased pressure from the Student Labor Action Coalition led Wiley and university administrators to revise their stand on sweatshop labor. SLAC has pushed for UW-Madison to guarantee that the companies that supply consumers with Badger-related clothing and other goods provide their workers access to labor unions and adequate wages. For months Wiley has opposed this move arguing that potential legal and procedural implications of adopting any policy must be looked into first. Two weeks ago, SLAC turned up the heat, posting a satirical Facebook profile of Wiley mocking his stance on the sweatshop issue.
'To be sure, this is only the first step in trying to bring Mr. Wiley to his knees on this issue,' SLAC member Joel Feingold said. 'If we do not see more progress from the administration the consequences could be grave. I'm talking about AIM rumors and chain e-mails.'
By early this week it seemed as though Wiley had gotten the message as he was eagerly hawking the last of the sweatshop-made UW goods.
It is clear that the chancellor's words have struck a chord with those on campus. All week current students and alumni alike have flooded area stores to cash in on the amazing deals offered by clothing manufactures that do not allow their workers the basic human dignity of a living wage and safe working conditions.
'Of course it's wrong for kids to be working in the places that they do,' senior Brad Johnston said. 'To pass up on these deals while they're around would be wrong too, though. Look, three shirts for ten dollars, Unbelievable!'
Chancellor Wiley couldn't agree more.
'These prices are about as low as the exploited workers are on the economic food chain. Come on down and take advantage of great deals like Western nations take advantage of ten-year-old boys and girls in third world nations! You heard me... third world prices in a first world country.'
