From: Trina Tocco (talkalot83@hotmail.com)
Date: Sat Apr 13 2002 - 12:05:10 EDT
Well here is the 8th applicant running for the 2 seats on the WRC governing
board. The short story is that he left for South AFrica on March 31 and
sent it in before he left. Unfortunately he didn't realize till yesterday
when he checked his email for the first time since he has been gone that he
sent it to the wrong address and so it bounced back to him. So we figured
we would add him into the mix since it was an honest mistake. If you can
please make sure you forward this additional application to the same lists
you sent all the rest to.
JAMES NUSSBAUMER, UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
I have been involved with USAS work for three years. Although my university
is not yet a member of the WRC, it is surely not due to lack of trying. I
am interested in being a WRC representative because I believe I have a lot
to contribute to the national dialogue. I am eager to broaden my outlook
and help assist what is CLEARLY THE MOST PROMISING DEVELOPMENT IN THE
STUDENT CAMPAIGN TO IMPROVE WORKING CONDITIONS IN THE GLOBAL APPAREL
INDUSTRY. Having been to Kukdong and played a role in that campaign, I have
witnessed the power of the WRC firsthand. Acting as a representative would
be an exciting honor and opportunity to help build this power and ensure
other such successes around the world.
Name: James Nussbaumer
School: University of Southern California
Year: Senior (not graduating)
Email: jnussbau@usc.edu
Licensing/non licensing school: Licensing
Size of student body at your school: 26,000
Any languages spoken: German; possibly Bahasa Indonesian after this Summer
1) What has been your past involvement with the Worker Rights Consortium and
USAS at the local and/or national level (less than 100 words please)? (150
words)
My involvement with anti-sweat work has been mostly local. Since I was a
freshman, I have planned rallies, done petitions, organized speaker events,
planned press conferences, drafted reports, publicly debated administrators,
etc.
My main involvement with USAS has been attendingd various conferences
(Eugene), and my most exciting involvement with the WRC was my participation
in the national delegation to the Kukdong factory in March of last year.
The success of that initiative has inspired me to get me more active in the
national process.
2) As a WRC board member, you would be representing USAS and advocating for
workers. What are some means of communication and accountability that you
propose in order to fulfill your role? (200 words)
I think email is overemphasized in a lot of our work. When possible, I like
to communicate the old-fashioned way: by picking up the phone. Obviously,
email has its benefits when wide dissemination is required, however I think
more work could be done to build people-to-people ties. This could involve
calling people for the purposes of outreach, answering questions, discussing
new developments, etc.
I think communicating with workers is essential. There are currently no
workers on the WRC Governing Board, nor a caucus for one. There are,
however, several representatives on the Advisory Council. If a
representative to the WRC, I would be interested in furthering communication
with these representatives and others. Since USAS seeks to advocate for
workers, this would seem to be essential.
3) How would you describe the WRC¹s relationship to universities? To
corporations? (150 words)
The WRC offers universities an opportunity to contribute to the
globalization of human rights. The WRC serves universities’ interests by
providing information on conditions in producing regions. It benefits
universities by allowing them to verify their claims regarding the rights of
workers.
The WRC engages its corporate stakeholders where it is productive. For
example, in the recent report on PT Dada in Indonesia, it is clear that
dialogue with the corporate community can have a beneficial impact on
workers. Ultimately, licensees have the most direct power over contracting
facilities so sharing information is important. However, those who
described the WRC as “antagonistic” to the industry clearly have it wrong-
the industry is antagonistic to accountability. With that in mind, while
such dialogue is important, WRC independence is clearly what sets it apart
from other less credibly initiatives.
4) What do you see as the WRC¹s relationship to workers in producing
countries? (150 words)
The WRC is a tool for workers who believe their rights are being violated.
Because the WRC works on a “complaint” basis, it allows workers a voice in
defending their interests. When the WRC investigates, it “shines the
spotlight” on the situation, helping to ascertain the truth and publicize it
to the world community.
The WRC’s relationship with workers is and must be more than that, though.
The speaking tour it organized last term with Marcela Munoz of Kuk Dong
demonstrates that the WRC is also about forging stronger ties with workers
throughout the world. As opposed to 'top-down' initiatives such as the FLA,
which provides no voice for workers themselves, the WRC is truly a bottom-up
process where such participation can be achieved. Also, the situation at
New Era illustrates that the WRC is also not an agent of protectionism but
one of global solidarity.
5) What skills can you contribute as a USAS WRC representative? (150 words)
I believe my biggest contribution to the WRC will be my experience. I have
been involved with USAS for long enough to have a strategic outlook that
encompasses an understanding of the possibilities and weaknesses of the
movement. I also have an academic understanding of political economy and
trade issues that may be beneficial in contextualizing issues with the
larger problems of the global economy. Finally, having been involved with
USAS so long, I have met many other students from all across the country
involved with the movement. These relationships will no doubt help in
building strong WRC ties with the university community.
6) Is there anything else that you would like to add?
I am interested in starting a dialogue on the appropriate role of the WRC in
emerging market-based initiatives to the sweatshop problem. It is easy to
publicize abuses of workers rights, but how do we reward places where such
rights are respected? Should the WRC have a role in such initiatives?
There are clearly no answers yet, but there has been some debate within
USAS. I am interested in helping to expanding this dialogue within the WRC
itself.
Trina Tocco
1310 Merrill
Kalamazoo, MI 49008
cell 616-873-1000
school 616-343-6054
permanent 586-792-6484
_________________________________________________________________
Chat with friends online, try MSN Messenger: http://messenger.msn.com
------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ---------------------~-->
Buy Stock for $4
and no minimums.
FREE Money 2002.
http://us.click.yahoo.com/k6cvND/n97DAA/ySSFAA/BGfwlB/TM
---------------------------------------------------------------------~->
USAS webpage: http://www.usasnet.org
Unsubscribe from USAS list:
email blank message to usas-unsubscribe@egroups.com
Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.4 : Mon Oct 28 2002 - 02:52:32 EST