The University of Wisconsin Labor Licensing Committee met Friday to discuss making companies licensed to produce official UW products disclose workers? wage information.
During the meeting, UW faculty, staff and students approved a drafted letter to be sent out to UW?s top ten licensees outlining the requirement.
The letter asking the top ten licensees, including Adidas and the company producing Steve and Barry?s products, needs approval from UW lawyers before it can be sent to the manufacturers, according to Liana Dalton, UW sophomore and LLPC member.
?It?s the top ten [we?re going] to start out with,? Dalton said, adding the effort would eventually be expanded to all of the licensees. Dalton said the top ten licensees would have until the first of May to either reject or deny this proposal.
In an LLPC meeting Jan. 23, UW Chancellor John Wiley announced he would endorse the Committee?s proposal to require the more than 450 official licensees and thousands of factories to reveal what the companies pay their workers.
LaMarr Billups, special assistant to the chancellor, also said in the meeting if licensees refuse, they will be dropped from UW licensing opportunities.
Dalton, who is also an active member of the Student Labor Action Coalition, noted the significance of UW asking for full wage disclosure.
?UW?s kind of taking the lead,? Dalton said, noting Western Michigan University is the only other university to ask for wage disclosure. UW is the largest and most prominent school asking for the clause on licensees? contracts, she said. Dalton noted the University of Michigan, Indiana, Duke and Georgetown are following in UW?s footsteps in asking college administration for full wage disclosure.
UW will work through the Workers? Rights Consortium to decipherns of data received from the licensees about wages.
Wilt Sanders, fellow LLPC member and senior scientist at the UW physics department, said the May 1 deadline is ?firm.?
Sanders said that the timeline to get full wage disclosure is of great concern. He understands students wanting to see things get accomplished immediately, saying, ?Student only have four years.?
Sanders said the wage disclosure issue affects different aspects of student life. When students buy a Bucky plush doll, red Wisconsin T-shirt or shot glasses, they may unknowingly endorse bad shop conditions or low pay standards in foreign factories. Sanders said public disclosure at least puts pressure on the company UW uses to leverage good wage standards.
Another issue discussed at the meeting was a conference March 24 and 25. It will gather members of the WRC, corporate representatives and labor advocates and standards authorities to Madison to bring labor issues and wage disclosure to full light in the community and other universities around the country.