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Tuesday night’s General Student Senate meeting was the most well attended of all Senate meetings this year and for good reason. At stake was a resolution that would give the Maine Peace Action Committee half the required funds necessary to join the Workers’ Rights Consortium.
While President Peter S. Hoff was opposed to the union, due to UMaine’s association with the Fair Labor Association, a national worker’s rights organization, the Senate’s approval is a long overdue step in the right direction.
The approval vote and the large attendance showed support for WRC, an organization that performs random investigations and gives workers the opportunity to complain about work conditions. In joining WRC, the university is taking a commendable stand against sweatshop labor and other unethical work practices.
The move also demonstrates the widespread university support for student-initiated campaigns. MPAC had been working on this project for two years, and until now, had been periodically shot down by the UMaine administration. In Tuesday’s meeting, concerns about higher prices for UMaine clothing and losing contracts with major clothing companies were discussed; MPAC members said such situations rarely occur by joining WRC.
While events like this year’s Anti-Sweatshop Fashion Show have called attention to a slew of unethical administrative decisions, the vote was decisively placed, and if carried through, will provoke real change in the university’s business practices.
Although it is disappointing to note that some senators voted against the resolution, it is more heartening to acknowledge that more than 1,000 students signed a petition is favor of the union with WRC.
