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Chancellor Biddy Martin requested in writing Friday that Nike address issues of workers’ rights abuses at two of its Honduras-based subcontractors within the next four months or allow its contract with the University of Wisconsin to expire.
In a letter to the Labor Licensing Policy Committee — an advisory body to the chancellor — Martin said she would give Nike four months to make progress in remedying unfair labor practices that may violate UW’s code of conduct.
The Nike subcontractors under scrutiny — Hugger de Honduras and Vision Tex — both closed their factories Jan. 19, 2009 without prior notice to workers and have since neglected to pay severance and back wages totaling $2.1 million to former employees. The factories are believed to have manufactured products bearing the UW logo.
Failure to fully compensate workers after the factories closed may be a violation of the code of conduct UW has with all licensees, according to Dawn Crim, special assistant to Martin.
However, it is unclear whether the factories were still subcontracted to Nike when the plants closed in January, Crim said.
“There is not sufficient evidence to determine that there has been a breach (of contract) in the strict legal sense,” Martin said in her letter.
Martin added she believes Nike is working to resolve the situation, but UW will give the company 120 days to make progress.
“If, at the close of 120 days, there is no resolution or indication of satisfactory, demonstrable progress toward resolution, we will let the relationship with Nike lapse,” Martin said.
That lapse would happen at the end of June, Crim said.
Martin’s letter to the LLPC follows the committee’s November meeting in which members advised Martin in a 7-2 vote to terminate UW’s contract with Nike for its possible contract violation.
UW’s Student Labor Action Coalition said they think Martin’s request that Nike make “satisfactory, demonstrable progress” is insufficient and immeasurable.
“We’d like [Martin] to tell Nike that they have two options: either respect the workers and the code of conduct or follow the LLPC’s recommendations and cut the contract with Nike,” said Daniel Cox, a SLAC member.
Cox believes if UW terminates its contract with Nike, other universities will follow suit, producing a critical mass of institutions that can affect change.
Crim said she agrees the key to improving labor practices is to form a coalition among universities, but believes if UW terminates its contract with Nike it will lose its leverage in the industry.
SLAC will contact Martin beginning Monday to ask her to take a stronger stand against Nike, said Jan Van Tol, a SLAC member.
Van Tol thinks the only condition under which UW should continue its contract with Nike is if the company pays workers the $2.1 million they are owed.
“Let’s not kid ourselves — Nike can pay that money tomorrow if it wanted,” Van Tol said. “It’s not exactly a difficult thing for a company that makes billions of dollars a year to cut a check to workers. It’s baffling why [UW] needs four months to make progress toward that.”
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Hey, We won the Russell case! Let’s win Nike too!
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Nike subcontractors, i.e., NOT Nike was responsible for this. i mean seriously Dawn Crim and Biddy Martin, dont you have more pressing issues, like tuition going up?
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�There is not sufficient evidence to determine that there has been a breach (of contract) in the strict legal sense,� Martin said in her letter.
Then in what sense is Martin talking about? Why is Nike being treated as a crook when Nike seems to be as innocent of any wrong-doing as the U.W. is? The answer is:
“Let�s not kid ourselves � Nike can pay that money tomorrow if it wanted,� Van Tol said. �It�s not exactly a difficult thing for a company that makes billions of dollars a year to cut a check to workers. It�s baffling why [UW] needs four months to make progress toward that.�”
So it’s not about justice or respecting rights or contracts or legality. It’s that Nike has a lot of money and leftists (apparently, Martin included) want them to fork it over.
This is Marxist “social justice” 101: Nike has the ability to pay and workers have a need. This fact alone makes Nike guilty in the eyes of leftists.
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Hey fuckhead, or 9:33AM, Nike stiffed the workers $2.1 million. So that money would go to the workers and not UW. But hey, who cares about workers’ rights when you have a bottom line to worry about? UW would actually lose money out of this deal. And Nike claiming that it was the subcontractor’s fault is bullshit. Nike directly contracted the majority of the work in those factories.
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Not true. Read the article.
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Lindsay,
Great article. And for all of you that sit in Gordon Commons, or Ed’s Express, or Pop’s Place, would understand where the food you are eating is coming from. You are eating food that is produced by workers that are put in even worse conditions then those that work at night. So you know what, the food that you eat in these places is a lot worse for you then the cool jerseys and other stuff that Nike produces. Because frankly Adidas sucks.
Maybe at a University where we refer our dyke as bitch as Biddy, aka Carolyn Martin this shit can go on. But serious, let’s Go Oregon Ducks in the fucking Rose Bowl baby. Phil Knight is the shit, and I hope that they don’t pay these fees, because that shit is fucking wack Biddy. Get a grip on yourself you fucking Nazi!