The Michigan Daily - Monday. August 14. 2000 - 3
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SOLE members protest Bollinger's decision
y Sara Fedewa
aily StaffReporter
Amid chants of "Michigan is not for
tie, worker's rights must prevail," a
roup of studernts marched into the
leming B (uildi tn Monday afternoon
lea; Unicersits President Lee
Ongera letter expressing their outrage
ward his announcement that the
niversity would join the Fair Labor
ssociation on a provisional basis.
"The FLA is one kind of organiza-
an set up by the government in order
bring together corporations, non-
ofit organizations, activists and uni-
rsities in order to address sweat-
top issues," said Bryant Ison, rmem-
er of the Presidents Advisory
ommittee on Labor Standards and
an Rights.
ere are two components of address-
g problems with sweatshops monitor-
g and standards, Ison said.
"The FLA doesn't impose a code, they
onitor other codes," Ison said.
Activists said they do not believe the
LA is useful in improving standards and
arker's conditions in sweatshops.
"The FLA is a corporate dominated
wr-up to make it look like they're
something," said SOLE member
:ott Trudeau, an LSA senior.
Trudeau said the FLA has a weaker
code, no mention of a living wage and
does not guarantee workers the right to
organize.
According to Trudeau, the FLA also
lacks power because the corporations
are able to choose their own monitors
and are able to filter through all of the
iifirmIation and reports before they are
released.
Students opposed to the
Universit 's involvement with the
FLA also say they think universities
in general lack power within the FLA,
as 139 universities are forced to share
a seat on a board of 14.
University protesters were supported
by a group of 10 students, members of
United Students Against Sweatshops,
who were making a 13-day pilgrimage to
10 cities across the United States in an
effort to call attention to the anti-sweat-
shop movement.
The group decided to make a stop
in Ann Arbor in an effort to support
SOLE members in their protest
against the University's involvement
with the FLA.
"It's a really crappy nove for U of M
to make this decision in the summer
when most of the involved students are
not near campus," said Carrie Brunk, a
student at Transylvania University in
Kentucky.
"We've come to let Bollinger know
that evervone in the country is watching,"
said Cori Lowe, USAS coordinator and
student at Middlebury College in
Vermont.
The USAS students along with the
members i Sf'LE ate pruing for the
right for swettsp woiker t organize.
"The w r kris nted to tave the right
to organize independent unions,
because if they have the right and
ability to organize for themselves,
they will be the best advocates for
their cause," said Roselio Reyes, a
former sweatshop worker from the
Dominican Republic and member of
the Federation of Free Trade Zone
Workers of the Dominican Republic.
"The workers are fighting for better
working conditions, higher salaries and
social security and the best way for them
to do that is to organize and bargain for
themselves," Reves said.
The protesters support the Workers
Rights Consortium, with which the
University is currently affiliated,
because it includes a clause that pro-
vides workers with the right to orga-
nize. The FLA does not mention this
right.
"Workers need to be able to orga-
nize and represent themselves," said
Lowe, "No monitoring scheme is
going to solve the problem of sweat-
shops."
Students marched through the Fleming Building last Monday In protest of
University President Lee Bollinger's decision to join the FLA.
recycling program aims to cut back student waste
V Natalie Plosky
ily Staff Reporter
many students, August marks a time to c(
ler twhat items need to be disposed of before its
g out of an apartment or home. Often, reusa
ins are thrown out with other waste.
In att effort to redistribute these items to th'
uld use them. a program sponsored by Recy
in Arbor seeks to recover reusable items from s
nts during rsoveout.
The program. Green Moveout, is entering
aith year in Ann Arbor.
een Mov eout works twith local realty coral
oa T reduce the amtount oftvaste resulting
im mass Imie0Uts around the area.
Durin a desietnated building's moveoIut
ne. lar-gc yellow boxes will be placed
>und the buildin.
Students can put clothing, unopened food
used toiletries. electronics, kitchen or
ice supplies, and sports equipment in these
xes. Large furniture can be amaned to be
ked up bycallingRecvcle AnnArbor.
The boxes till be collected and taken to
A 's Re.se Cetelr.
titi itd kichen furnishings will bei
nated to PTO Thrift Shop, and food and
opened toiletries will be donated to Food
itherers.
Remaining donations will be sorted and
told to the community at low prices.
cause RAA is a non-profit organization,
aceeds from the sale ofthese items will go
operating costs for RAA and to support-
waste reduction and recycling efforts in
immunity.
arior to this year, University Towers was
only property participating in the pro-i
I. Because of the positive response from
s property, Green Moveout coordinated
0ti-
ble
ose
role
tu-
its
pa-
efforts with other realtors.
Realty companies involved in this summer's
Green Moveout include Campus Management,
University Towers, and Michigan Realty.
Adam Szuch, a marketing intern at RAA and
coordinator of Green Moveout, said he hopes to
expand the services of Green Moveout in the future.
"tHopefilly, this year will go really well," Szuch
said. "Oue goal is to expand to some other properties
with the participating realtors and also recruit some
other realtors on campus"
In June of this year, the ReUse Center expanded
into 20,000 square feet of warehouse space to
accommodate its collections. At any given time, the
warehouse holds 2500 cubic yards of usable items
diverted from landfills.
In an average week, over 100 cubic yards of items
are sold at the ReUse Center.
Anthony Visioni, an LSA sophomore who
resides at a participating property of Green
Moveout, expressed his support for the program.
"I think it's a good idea," Visioni explained. "I'm
probably going to ditch some of the stuff I have and
give it to (Green Moveout). I always think it's good
to recycle whden you can because it's no harder than
throwing stuff out."
The ReUse Center is open to the public to donate
and to purchase items.
Hours of operation for the RC are Monday
through Friday from 10am-6pm and Saturday from
9am-5pm and it is located at 2420 South Industrial.
Szuch also encouraged students to take advan-
tage of the low prices at the RC to meet their own
housing needs.
"It's something that we feel can offer the college
student with little money a lot," Szuch said.
"Students can come here and outfit their entire
home"
For more information about the program, contact
Adam Szuch at RAA at 662-6288, e-mail
adam cgrecycleannarbor.org, or go to the Website at
htjt://www'ureucm'cleanaroururg.
ON APRIL 26TH, 2000, BETA THETA PI FRATERNITY HAD
ski tci t hi HISTORICAL FRATERNITY ARTIFACTS STOLEN.
$1,000
REWARD FOR INFORMATION LEADING TO THE RECOVERY OF THE ARTIFACTS.
REWARD FOR INFORMATION LEADING TO THE ARREST AND
CONVICTION OF THE PERPETRATORS.
CONTACT INFO: RAWLINS539@HOTMAIL.COM
*NOTE, ANONYMOUS TIPS ARE APPRECIATED AS WELL
THANK You
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