UI Membership in Worker Rights Consortium (WRC) (website)

In April 2000, following consideration and recommendation from the Licensing Advisory Committee (LAC), the Urbana-Champaign campus of the University of Illinois joined the Worker Rights Consortium (WRC) as a founding member on a provisional basis. The WRC is a nonprofit organization that supports and verifies licensee compliance with production codes of conduct. The campus joined the WRC because of the group's potential to help improve working conditions in factories where collegiate apparel is manufactured, and our interest in working with other universities, students, human rights groups and labor to help shape this new organization. We have with other colleges and universities called repeatedly for the WRC to find effective ways of bringing industry into the discussion of improving working conditions.

The Urbana-Champaign campus coordinated a subsequent meeting of the college and university members of the WRC, held in Park Ridge, Illinois, on April 28, 2000, to address the election of college and university members to the WRC Governing Board, the election of college and universities members to five WRC working groups, and to consider further the issue of engaging industry in the discussion of improving working conditions in factories where collegiate apparel is manufactured. The WRC college and university caucus recommended the addition of two additional college/university representatives and two additional student representatives to the WRC governing board. This recommendation was subsequently adopted by the WRC Governing Board. The WRC Governing Board now includes 5 college/university representatives, 5 students, and 5 members from the WRC Advisory Council which includes representatives from human rights organizations and organized labor.

In Spring 2001, following consideration and recommendation from the Licensing Advisory Committee (LAC), the Urbana-Champaign campus of the University of Illinois joined the Fair Labor Association (FLA) as a founding member on a provisional basis.

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