Sweatshop research urged 


                   Shenaz Bagha Associate News Editor 

                   In a letter addressed to the presidents of over 500
                   American colleges and universities Monday, the
                   Academic Consortium of International Trade urged
                   university officials to do more research into
                   anti-sweatshop matters before taking actions. 

                   “We believe that the decisions on these matters
                   by universities and colleges should be made only
                   after careful research, discussion and debate in a
                   manner appropriate to informed decision making,”
                   the letter read. 

                   ACIT is a group of mostly economists and lawyers
                   who are interested in trade. The consortium
                   includes academics from over 90 universities
                   including UW-Madison, Stanford University,
                   Boston College, Purdue University and Harvard
                   University. 

                   The letter asked that, rather than reacting blindly
                   to sit-ins conducted by students, officials consult
                   and research with students, faculty and members
                   of the community. 

                   “We often encounter news reports of sit-ins by
                   groups of students in the offices of
                   university/college administrators, after which
                   decisions are often made without seeking the
                   views of scholars in the social sciences, law and
                   humanities who have long discussed and
                   researched the issues involved here or of a
                   broader campus constituency,” the letter read. 

                   Last February, a group of approximately 50 UW
                   students conducted a sit-in in Chancellor David
                   Ward's office. The result of the sit-in was that the
                   university agreed to break ties with the Fair Labor
                   Association and join the Workers Rights
                   Consortium. 

                   Robert Baldwin, a UW professor emeritus of
                   economics, said although the UW's decision to join
                   the WRC was a mistake, the process through
                   which administrators went in making the decision
                   was thorough and followed procedure by
                   consulting different members of the UW and city
                   of Madison communities. 

                   “I think we're an exception,” Baldwin said. “[Ward]
                   didn't, under pressure, push a decision that was
                   based solely on what students were demanding.” 

                   Students at the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor,
                   Purdue University and Pennsylvania State
                   University also conducted sit-ins last year that led
                   to changes in codes of conduct regarding
                   sweatshops at those universities. 

                   According to Baldwin, although what the WRC and
                   FLA stand for, which is a raise in wages, may
                   seem noble, the issue is more complicated than
                   what it appears to be. 

                   “Everyone understands that these people want to
                   do good,” he said. “The question is, is arbitrarily
                   insisting on a wage level the best way to help
                   these people?” 

                   Often, raising a wage level will have a negative
                   economic impact on a country, Baldwin said.
                   Often, raising wages means employers will hire
                   less workers. 

                   The letter emphasized that the mechanisms
                   established by organizations that universities
                   agree to monitor compliance with codes of
                   conduct may also prove unfair. 

                   “Other certifying and monitoring organizations
                   should also be considered,” the letter read. “Such
                   as the Council on Economic Priorities
                   Accreditation Agency, an international
                   non-governmental organization with considerable
                   experience in administering a social accountability
                   standard.” 

                   Above all, Baldwin said, the issue of sweatshops
                   is a lot more complex than most people
                   understand. Factors such as unemployment and
                   lack of social security add to the different facets
                   of the economic issue. 

                   “The concern [about the FLA and WRC] is they'll
                   insist upon levels of wages that will result in
                   unemployment or reduction of employment of
                   these poor people manufacturing apparel,”
                   Baldwin said. “If these poor people who are
                   displaced, they have no place to go. There's no
                   social safety net in these developing countries.
                   You end up with people in crime and prostitution,
                   and people in much worse conditions than they
                   had before.” 
 



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