Worker Rights Involvement Might Change

*This article has been corrected

As the leader among colleges fighting for the fair treatment of apparel factory workers, UNC has the power to push for better accountability, executive director of the Worker Rights Consortium Scott Nova said Friday when he visited campus.

But that power might be in jeopardy with budget cuts forcing University officials to reconsider their memberships in workers' rights organizations.

The University financially supports both the WRC and the Fair Labor Association, donating 1 percent of all licensing royalties to each.

For the 2001-02 fiscal year, this equated to a $41,000 check to each organization.

The WRC and FLA are nonprofit organizations whose stated purpose is to enforce the manufacturing codes of conduct -- regulations ensuring that factories producing goods bearing university logos respect the basic rights of workers.

The University is one of 91 colleges and universities affiliated with the WRC.

Rut Tufts, UNC's director of trademarks and licensing, said a tight budget could force the University to cut funding for one of the two organizations.

Licensing committee members expressed at Friday's meeting that the independent and aggressive nature of the WRC makes it more likely than the FLA to continue receiving University funds in the event of a budget cut.

About two years ago, the University was reluctant to join the WRC when it first started as a fledgling competitor to the FLA. Activists on campus blasted the FLA for being dominated by corporations, instead advocating for the WRC.

Heeding a campus labor advisory committee's recommendation, then-interim Chancellor Bill McCoy decided to join both organizations as a compromise.

Nova's informal visit to campus Friday helped reaffirm UNC's relationship with the WRC.

Despite WRC's rise in prominence in its nearly three years in existence, Nova said that unfortunately the WRC and UNC have no direct power to enforce working conditions.

"Ultimately, it's the brand's relationship with the factories that really matters," Nova said.

Despite this, universities hold great influence over the brands that hold their licensing rights, especially UNC.

In addition to being the leader in apparel sales, the University is the most powerful collegiate influence on the codes of conduct, Nova said.

Nova said that at this point it is difficult to tell how companies are following the code comparative to one another but said brands like Adidas, Nike and Reebok have shown great progress over the last eight years.

Nike is the University's largest licensee, representing about $885,000 of total royalties.

Nova said companies with less accountability, such as Wal-Mart and Kmart, have the most work to do in regard to complying with labor laws and securing workers' rights.

He said on-campus efforts to raise awareness and to educate students on illegal and inhumane labor practices are the first step to solving the problems.

Nova said, "The most important work is often done at home."

The University Editor can be reached at udesk@unc.edu.

In the Oct. 1 article "Worker Rights Involvement Might Change," the statement that the Worker RIghts Consortium would be more likely to continue receiving funds in the event of a budget cut was incorrectly attributed to Rut Tufts, UNC's director of trademarks and licensing.
Tufts said Tuesday that licensing committee members expressed that sentiment at Friday's meeting but that he never said it himself. The Daily Tar Heel regrets the error.