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Wednesday August 30, 2000

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UA president criticized for delaying FLA decision

By Ryan Gabrielson

Arizona Daily Wildcat

SAS members confront Likins about remaining in monitoring organization with corporate ties

Eight members of Students Against Sweatshops were at the Faculty Center - 1400 E. Mabel St. - late yesterday afternoon to confront UA President Peter Likins as he went to his meeting with the university's Human and Labor Rights Task Force.

"What does this mean to you!" shouted Rachel Wilson, SAS spokeswoman and psychology graduate student, holding a copy of the commitments that the Fair Labor Association was to have met by Aug. 1 as Likins walked by.

"That's what I'm going to talk about right now," he replied.

At the meeting - which was closed to the public - Likins "seemed upset with the task force recommendation," said Lydia Lester, task force member and SAS spokeswoman. "Likins said if he withdraws from the FLA, he'll lose credibility nationaly.

"No matter what he signed these committments," she added.

Although Likins met to discuss the situation with the task force, some of its members think thought there was little to talk about.

"The FLA hasn't met the standards," Anderson said. "I'm pretty upset Likins isn't keeping his commitments.

"It doesn't speak well of his credibility," she said.

At the end of the spring semester, Likins said he saw much promise for the FLA through its university members, which could make him reluctant to leave the monitoring organization.

"I know he wants to stay in, but that's not a sufficient reason," said Anderson.

Members of SAS said that they were also disappointed in Likins not following the recommendation.

"We (SAS) find the decision (to remain in the FLA) completly unacceptable," Wilson said.

On Aug. 7, the University of Arizona labor rights task force recommended Likins withdraw the university from the FLA, of which the UA was a founding university member. He responded on Aug. 16 that he would have a meeting with the task force to discuss the UA's continued involvement in the monitoring system.

The FLA, a monitoring system that allows corporations on its governing board, had to have adopted four mandates from the resolution signed by Likins, that ended a 10-day sit-in by SAS members in his office, for the UA to remain in the organization.

In June, Likins began a dual membership with both the Worker Rights Consortium and the FLA following months of SAS protest and a task force recommendation that the university join the WRC.

The WRC was created by the United Students Against Sweatshops in October as an alternative to the FLA that does not allow corporate involvement in the monitoring process.

No factory monitoring has begun by either system.

Earlier in the day, SAS members held an anti-FLA rally on the administration lawn.

"(The FLA) is a smoke screen," said Arne Ekstrom, neurosciences graduate student and SAS member, at the rally. "President Likins, you still have a long way to go."

About 30 people participated in the demonstration, which consisted of several speeches by SAS and labor rights task force members.

"Our basic problems still haven't been met," Ekstrom said.


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