By
Ryan Gabrielson
Arizona Daily Wildcat
SAS deadline for Likins follows task force recommendation that UA withdraw from monitoring organization
Another deadline and another mandate from Students Against Sweatshops to leave the Fair Labor Association has come today.
But this time they have the support of the University of Arizona Human and Labor Rights Task Force.
"There's no way for him to squirm," said Rachel Wilson, SAS spokeswoman and French graduate student.
On Aug. 7 the task force presented UA President Peter Likins with their recommendation that the university leave the FLA.
SAS then followed up with a letter to Likins requesting an immediate withdrawal from the FLA and set today as the deadline for response.
Likins has yet to release his decision but is expected to today, Sharon Kha, UA spokeswoman, said.
The UA had already become a member of the Worker Rights Consortium in June following an earlier recommendation by the task force.
Since its inception last October, the WRC has been gaining university members - many the product of sit-ins by student labor rights activists.
The UA's chapter of SAS has camped, chanted and rallied, but to date has been unable to sway Likins from the FLA.
At it's peak, the FLA had 131 university members in January when the monitoring organization - created by the U.S. Department of Labor - named Sam Brown Jr. to be it's first executive director.
In the resolution, the FLA had until Aug. 1 to have implemented independent monitoring and at the time of his hiring, Brown said the association was in the process of hiring monitors and would have a system operating in six months.
No factory monitoring has begun by either system.
During the spring semester, two deadlines were set by SAS for Likins to respond to their requests that the UA leave the FLA. Both times he opted to remain a member of the FLA - of which the UA was a founding university member.
"He's a hard guy to predict," said Ari Anand, SAS member and former member of the labor rights task force.
At the end of the spring semester Likins said the university members of the FLA were becoming a powerful voice within the monitoring organization. Such progress within the FLA - which allows all of it's university members only one of 14 positions on its governing board - could lead Likins to remain in a dual membership.
"Knowing him, he might come up with something else," said Anand, a sociology graduate student. "I'm not sure they've learned of a loophole (in the resolution) at this point."
The resolution - which ended a 10-day sit-in outside of Likins' office in April 1999 - mandated the FLA to have implemented independent monitoring by Aug. 1 along with three other conditions if the UA was to remain a member.
Full disclosure of factories by Nike is the only condition met in the agreement.
If Likins decides to remain in the FLA, "SAS would take that very seriously," Wilson said.
While no action would probably be taken during the first week of the semester, Wilson added that SAS would move to bring the issue to the forefront again.
A gathering has been organized by SAS to take place on the Administration lawn tomorrow - whether it will be a celebration or a demonstration will be determined by Likins' response today.
"We really hope it's going to be a celebration," Wilson said.
