Nike contract labor provisions far from 'outstanding'

We learned recently that the contract between U of A and Nike was signed with what was touted as "outstanding" labor provisions by the administration. Specifically, President Likins and certain members of the University Committee on Corporate Relations (UCCR) interviewed felt that the stipulation of a "mutually agreeable" independent monitor was a giant step. The contract was also lauded by UCCR members such as Thomas Davis supposedly because members of the UCCR "worked closely" with Students Against Sweatshops to produce the labor provisions of the Nike contract.

As an appointed member to the UCCR and president of Students Against Sweatshops, I want to say loud and clear that 1) although the provisions may be a tiny step in the right direction, the labor provisions in the Nike contract are far from "outstanding" and are essentially empty and meaningless, meant more as a token gesture than an actual workable clause 2) at no point did I feel that members of the UCCR and the administration "worked closely" with us; while our organization was honored to be selected to take part in the talks and was initially extremely enthusiastic, our input was largely ignored and even ridiculed by certain administrators.

Regarding the most important claim, namely that the labor provisions of the contract are meaningless, this is clear from the fact that the contract contains no formal means by which Nike's labor practices are monitored. Just today, I heard from a contact in Vietnam that safety standards in Nike sweatshops are still abysmal and that no "independent monitoring" has occurred.

In the future, the administration would be wise to check the statements itmakes to the press purporting to represent views of certain parties withthose parties first rather than issuing inaccurate information. Finally, although I have often made this statement to deaf ears, when will ourathletics department take human rights seriously?

Arne David Ekstrom

Students Against Sweatshops president

Neuroscience graduate student