By
Shana Heiser
Arizona Daily Wildcat
Dialogue will continue between two groups, but no
UA President Peter Likins and Students Against Sweatshops have reached an impasse.
After a two-hour meeting between the two parties that Likins called "very constructive" no agreement had been made. SAS members are still pushing for the University of Arizona to withdraw from the Fair Labor Association and Likins has said he still wants to remain.
"There is certainly a barrier that he has to overcome," said Gabe Kirchner, a sociology senior and SAS spokesman.
Some members of SAS said they think that Likins' unwillingness to withdraw from the FLA is in violation of the resolution signed by the parties in April 1999.
"I have no predictions and no timeline," Likins said. "I'm not making a decision."
SAS members have not decided what their next move is, but before any action is taken the four members present at Friday's meeting will report to the whole organization.
In August the UA Human and Labor Rights Task Force recommended that Likins withdraw from the FLA, which would eliminate the dual membership the university has with the association and the Worker Rights Consortium.
"He does not want to leave the FLA," M.J. Braun said, an English graduate student and SAS member. "It was a long meeting, and I'm angered at the fact that the president will not uphold his commitments and he knows that."
SAS held a 10 day sit-in in Likins' office in April 1999, after which both groups signed the "Commitments Relating to Sweatshops." In the agreement, Likins said he would withdraw from the FLA if the four principles - independent monitoring, increase in women's rights, creation of a living wage and full disclosure of factory locations - were not met by Aug. 1.
"We gave them a year and half - and nothing; they won't do it," Braun said. "This is clearly a breach of the 'Commitments.' The FLA has no intention of adopting that language and probably never will. They want to be in control."
Likins said there will be a "continuing dialogue" between himself and SAS, but he would not comment on whether his opinion concerning the FLA has changed.
"The 'Commitments' have been breached and anything can happen," Braun said.
SAS will continue to advocate Likins' withdrawal from the Fair Labor Association, Kirchner said.
