Thirteen years ago, students, including then-Associated Students of Madison chair Adam Klaus, occupied the office of the chancellor of the University of Wisconsin. They occupied after a year of stalling and stonewalling by the chancellor. They occupied to demand the university ensure its apparel was not made in sweatshops by joining the Workers’ Rights Consortium. They intended to occupy until the chancellor met with them. The protesters remained peaceful and did not disturb any classes. 

The chancellor, however, would not even stay in Madison to discuss the issue with the students. Instead, he responded by sending in law enforcement – the police arrived with full riot gear, armed with tear gas, and forcibly dragged out the students. Arrests of more than 50 UW students persisted throughout the morning, with outraged community members showing up to support the students. 

The chancellor resigned a few months later, under pressure due to his brutal treatment of students of UW. That chancellor was our very own, current Interim Chancellor David Ward.

During the last year and a half of Ward’s return to UW as interim chancellor, it is apparent that he has not learned from the mistakes he made during his first term.

Thirteen years ago students won their demands, and our university is affiliated with the Worker’s Rights Consortium, an independent, third party factory monitoring organization. The WRC has performed factory investigations and found Adidas in violation of our University Code of Conduct for its refusal to pay $1.8 million to 2,700 workers who were formerly employed at its PT Kizone factory in Indonesia. Similarly, the WRC has found Palermo’s Pizza, a pizza manufacturing company in Milwaukee, in violation of our code of conduct for violating workers’ right to freedom of association. 

Thanks to past sit-ins, we also have a Labor Licensing Policy Committee, a shared governance committee that advises the chancellor on labor decisions. The LLPC has advised Chancellor Ward to cut the contracts with Adidas and Palermo’s Pizza on multiple occasions. 

Palermo’s workers have been on strike for nine months after being illegally fired for organizing for better work conditions, and Palermo’s Pizza represents union-busting values contrary to UW’s pro-worker, pro-community values. Community groups and campus groups, including the Dane County Board of Supervisors, have encouraged the university to join the ongoing boycott of Palermo’s Pizza.

Ward has ignored the shared governance process, students and the community.
Not only has Ward maintained his corporate, anti-worker values, he has continued his anti-shared governance despotism that forced him to leave UW more than a decade ago. He has ignored ASM decisions, student support for WISPIRG’s funding and the recommendations of shared governance committees to cut our contract with Adidas. Now, he is ignoring shared governance recommendations to cut our contract with Palermo’s Pizza. 

As he nears the end of his term as interim chancellor, Ward still has one last opportunity to turn his legacy around. He could choose to do his job and represent the voice of UW students and the Madison community, or he could reinforce and further strengthen his reputation as a corporatist autocrat. To Chancellor Ward, we say: the decision is yours, and the clock is ticking.

The UW-Mad@Palermo’s coalition includes members of Student Labor Action Coalition, Working Class Student Union, Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Atzlan, United Council, United States Student Association, the Teaching Assistants’ Association and the International Socialist Organization-Madison, among other organizations.