By
Shana Heiser
Arizona Daily Wildcat
Delegation will investigate situation this weekend
UA Students Against Sweatshop members planted themselves in front of the UofA Bookstore yesterday to inform students about the situation at the Kukdong factory in Mexico, where UA sweatshirts are manufactured.
Eight hundred of the 850 Nike workers in Atlixco, Mexico walked out last week in protest of the factory's failure to abide by labor laws. Since the initial action, developments - especially those against the striking workers - have further angered SAS members nationwide.
"The Kukdong factory man came in and fired people that walked out last week," SAS spokeswoman Rachel Wilson said. "This flies in the face of what Nike says, that all factories allow unionization of workers and allow workers to organize."
Most students are not aware of the conditions under which some University of Arizona apparel is made, Wilson said, and SAS members hoped to increase awareness with yesterday's informative demonstration.
"The factory is really closely connected to the U of A," said SAS member Tim Bartley, "because it makes UA shirts and it's closer to us geographically than the rest of the country. I want students to see how connected we are to workers in Mexico and also see we can make a difference because of that connection."
It is important for students to be informed about what is happening with apparel sold by the bookstore, UA law professor Andrew Silverman said.
"They can make the choice if they want to purchase such apparel," he added.
Response from the Workers Rights Consortium has been positive, Silverman added.
"It's encouraging to see what the WRC is doing and how quickly they responded," he said.
A WRC delegation of about five people will go to Atlixco this weekend, including Scott Nova, the WRC's executive director and Jerry Morales, National Law Center board member and adjunct professor of law at the UA.
UA President Peter Likins met with SAS members Tuesday and agreed to send Morales to Mexico as a university representative.
"I believe I was chosen because I'm a labor lawyer and I have an understanding of the labor laws of Mexico and the United States," Morales said.
The fact-finding delegation will report back when it returns Monday, Silverman said, but the mission remains somewhat unclear to Morales.
"I just know that I'm going, and I don't know the details of what we're going to be investigating," Morales said.
The task force also recommended Likins ask Nike's CEO Phillip Knight to get involved and use his influence in the Kukdong factory problems, Silverman said.
He added that his understanding was that Likins called Knight yesterday morning.
The situation in Mexico has brought more needed attention to worldwide issues surrounding sweatshop conditions, Wilson said.
"This is a classic case of what sweatshop factories do," Wilson said. "It's really good this is bringing this to light."
Shana Heiser can be reached at Shana.Heiser@wildcat.arizona.edu.
