Nike owes about $2 million in severance pay to workers at two recently closed factories in Honduras that formerly produced collegiate apparel. The Worker Rights Consortium, an independent labor rights monitoring organization with which the university is affiliated, has investigated these factories and determined Nike is in violation of Honduran labor laws. It’s clear Nike has violated our university’s codes of conduct for licensees that make Terrapin apparel.
According to the university’s fair labor code of conduct, it cannot license our logo to apparel companies that do not respect workers’ human rights. Yet, as the case against Nike is building, there are still university T-shirts and other apparel produced by Nike being sold across the country, embarrassing the university community.
This is not a complex issue. Nike owes a great deal of money to its workers in return for the garments they made. Nike must prove it has reformed since its sweatshop scandals of the 1990s. As an enormously profitable corporation, Nike can afford to pay out the more than $2 million to its workers. This money is nothing more than a drop in the bucket for Nike, but, per worker, represents about 29 percent of the GDP per capita in Honduras. So long as Nike refuses to pay, the university must cut its licensing contract with Nike to stand for workers’ rights on this issue.
Feminism Without Borders participated in a similar campaign last year when Russell Athletic illegally fired unionizing workers in Honduras. After months of delay, the university finally severed its licensing contract with Russell after more than 25 other schools had already done so. The contract cut made an enormous difference, culminating in a landmark victory when Russell rehired these workers, but it was late in the game compared to other schools. We need to demonstrate that, as a university, we are proud to stand up for the workers who make our apparel rather than be reluctant to do what’s right.
Two of the workers from Honduras who are owed wages by Nike came to the campus for a rally April 2. Though our initial request for representatives from the administration to meet with these workers was denied, Vice President for Student Affairs Linda Clement happened to be available briefly to hear their stories on that day. Now, we need more than words. We need action. Workers’ livelihoods and lives are in jeopardy every day they go without the money they need to survive. They cannot afford to wait out the administration’s hesitation when what the university should do is unambiguously clear.
A nationwide movement is building, calling on Nike to “Just Pay It” to fulfill its obligations to the workers and pay the about $2 million it owes. The University of Wisconsin-Madison recently terminated its licensing contract with Nike, landing articles in media outlets such as The New York Times. This university can similarly be a leader on this issue, but we need to act now for justice.
Join us in our campaign for justice by e-mailing fwbumd@gmail.com or coming to our meetings on Tuesdays at 7 p.m. in room 2117 of Jimenez Hall.
Jack Izen is a freshman American studies and government and politics major and a member of Feminism Without Borders. He can be reached at jackliebiz at gmail dot com.
