You have likely heard about the resolutions on anti-sweatshop issues, US9900-10A and 10B, on the agenda for the April 12 University Senate meeting. There has been a lot of talk and a lot of miscommunication around the licensing code of conduct and the Worker Rights Consortium, and I am hoping that this letter will clarify those issues somewhat. I'd like to apologize on behalf of the students who have been protesting this week for any impression that our actions have been trying to circumvent the decision-making authority of the University Senate and, most importantly, the wishes of the faculty.
The ad Hoc committee on the licensing code of conduct accountable to President Frohnmayer was appointed in the fall -- the students were selected by the ASUO, and the other members (three faculty, two administrators, and one alumni) were all appointed by Vice President Duncan McDonald. The first action of the committee was to recommend to the President that the University require that our trademark licensees disclose the factory locations. President Frohnmayer responded to this recommendation by sending a letter to all 300 University trademark licensees, giving them 90 days from January 1, 2000, to release production site information to the University.
On March 16, 2000, the committee voted unanimously to approve the licensing code of conduct we had developed over the winter. We used the code of conduct included in the Worker Rights Consortium as our model, and amended it in only a few areas. Additionally, the committee voted unanimously for the University to join the Worker Rights Consortium (WRC). The WRC is a non-profit organization that supports and verifies licensee compliance with production codes of conduct. (For more information on the WRC, check http://www.workersrights.org.)
Vice President Duncan McDonald offered to present the recommendation of the committee to the University Senate on April 12. The resolution that emerged (9900-10A) asks the Senate to recommend the code of conduct that the committee authored, but it does not include the committees vote on the WRC. The absence of the WRC on the resolution was noticed at the FAC meeting on Monday, and, committee member Lynn Kahle proposed a second resolution (9900-10B).
Both these resolutions are crucial, as they give the President the mandate to act decisively to use the power of the University to create change in working conditions in the apparel industry. The standards authored by the committee reflect the values of the University in supporting humane working conditions. Monitoring, and membership in a monitoring organization, is necessary as these standards mean nothing if they are not translated from paper to practice on the factory floor.
The Worker Rights Consortium works by forming networks of labor and human rights groups local to producing regions that would act as the intermediary between universities and the workers who produce collegiate apparel. However, these relationships take time to develop. Many groups at the UO students, the Student Senate, the ad Hoc committee, and the FAC have supported the WRC.
Students this week have spoken out strongly in favor of a long-term commitment to the WRC in order to give the organization the time to build the relationships necessary to be effective. The demand presented to the President suggested a commitment to the WRC for a five-year period. Though a commitment for any given amount of time is not included on either of the resolutions, it is likely that a Senator will propose an amendment to make membership in the WRC more permanent, whether through a provisional commitment to the WRC for five years or through a faculty committee established to oversee the workings of the WRC.
The President made a significant concession on Monday night, which is that he will follow exactly the recommendation of the University Senate. Hence, it is even more important that the resolution passed by the Senate represent a strong commitment to labor standards and the WRC.
The many conversations that we've had with faculty this past week have convinced us that students and faculty must work together more rather than less frequently. The President has scheduled a second meeting with the campus community at 6 p.m. tomorrow in 177 Lawrence. I hope that you will all be able to stay to talk with us following the Senate meeting so that we may begin our conversation then. Im excited to find where our goals intersect, and how we can work together.
If you have any questions, feel free to contact any of the Human Rights Alliance members by calling 346-4356, or you may respond by email to sjacobso@gladstone.uoregon.edu. In solidarity, Sarah Jacobson