Statement inaccurate
The front page article on Friday (“Just debate it: forum addresses labor issues,” ODE, Feb. 2) reported on a forum where a number of professors, including myself, discussed their views on the University’s involvement in groups monitoring overseas operations of the University’s apparel licensees. While I found most of the article to be a balanced report of the proceedings, I was dismayed to read that, according to the article, “all agreed the University should become a member of both the Worker Rights Consortium and the Fair Labor Association.” This statement is false.
My own personal comments indicated that I support the University’s membership in the Fair Labor Association (though I don’t think it is essential), but I do not support membership in the Worker Rights Consortium. Other presenters at the forum expressed a diversity of opinions on the University’s membership issue with these organizations, which were incorrectly summarized by this statement in the article.
Anyone interested in seeing the full text of my comments may access them at the following Internet link: http://darkwing.uoregon.edu/~bruceb/fla_wrc.html.
Bruce Blonigen
associate professor
economics
