Dear Mr. Brown:
As you know, the University of Pennsylvania community has been concerned
with which organization or organizations would be best suited to monitor
the manufacture of Penn apparel. Last night, the members of Penn Students
Against Sweatshops and I agreed that the only way the University can take
a truly open
look at the merits of the Fair Labor Association and the Worker Rights
Consortium, and make an informed decision, is to start with a clean slate.
As I have spoken with our students, they have continued to raise questions
about, among other things, worker representation on the FLA's executive
board, the FLA's capacity for handling worker complaints, and public disclosure
of factory locations and conditions.
Questions such as these need to be carefully considered by Penn's Ad-Hoc Committee
on Sweatshop Labor. To allow this to happen, I have decided that the
University should withdraw from the FLA, effective today, so that the Committee
can take a fresh look at the monitoring organization or organizations to
which Penn should belong. I have asked the committee, which includes Penn
faculty, students and staff, to make a recommendation to me by February
29, 2000. At that time, based on the committee's recommendation, the materials
I have read, and the conversations I have had with Penn Students Against
Sweatshops and with other college and university leaders, I will decide
if Penn should re-join the FLA, join the WRC, or some combination of both.
We all share the important goal of ensuring and protecting fair labor
practices. I am confident that Penn's Ad-Hoc Committee on Sweatshop Labor
will help the University achieve this goal by carefully analyzing all available
information on the FLA and the WRC and then providing me with a thoughtful
recommendation.
Sincerely,
Judith Rodin
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