The Student Labor Action Coalition held a teach-in at Chancellor Biddy Martin's office Friday, asking her to cut UW-Madison's apparel contract with Nike because of the mistreatment of factory workers at two plants in Honduras.
Dan Cox, a SLAC organizer said the teach-in was a way to provide students with information on the details of the situation and to demonstrate to Martin that SLAC feels it is necessary for UW-Madison to cut the contract with Nike.
According to Cox, the teach-in was partly a response to a letter Martin wrote in The Badger Herald last semester asking for more student involvement with the issue.
""To date, a small but dedicated core of students, faculty and staff has been active on our campus,"" Martin wrote in the letter. ""I would like to see more involvement and exchange.""
According to a UW-Madison press release, Nike's Honduras plants were shut down without notice in January 2009, and the owners failed to pay the workers over $2 million in severance and back pay, which violates the code of conduct UW-Madison has with its licensees.
UW-Madison's Labor Licensing Policy Committee advised Martin in November to cut the apparel contract with Nike.
In response, Martin said she did not condone Nike's action but did not think it was grounds for contract termination. Instead, Martin sent a letter to Nike in early December asking the company to act on these issues or show progress within the next four months.
""Nike agrees that the situation constitutes a problem that they have a responsibility to address,"" Martin said in the statement. ""They have been open about the range of complexities involved, but have not argued that the complexities absolve them of responsibility to make concerted efforts.""
Cox said SLAC members are disappointed with Martin's response and feel UW-Madison should demand more of Nike or cut the contract.
""They have 120 days to remediate the situation or show progress which could mean just about anything, which is why we're kind of pushing for what has shown to work in the past, which is hitting them in the pocketbook,"" he said.
According to Cox, the four months Martin gave Nike to act ends on April 8.
