On Thursday, October 7, Nike published an ad in the Arizona Daily Wildcat and four other college papers announcing Nike's disclosure, on its website, of some of its factory locations. Students Against Sweatshops, which has been working for this for many years now, sees this move as a significant victory for the anti-sweatshop movement.

    If Nike's invitation to "criticize [them] more accurately" is a genuine attempt to expose its subcontracted factories to public scrutiny, we welcome the move as a good beginning. However, to the extent that this invitation is also an attempt to imply that criticism of Nike in the past was not accurate, we strongly disagree. Indeed, activists and critics "thinking for themselves" have persistently and accurately identified Nike's labor abuses; it is this accuracy and commitment that have forced Nike to disclose the factory locations that it has disclosed.

    We would like to point out, too, that that university business as a whole is only one percent of Nike's business, and that locations of the factories producing apparel for these five universities constitute only a fraction of that one percent. This leaves over 99 percent of Nike's business practices unaccounted for. Added to the fact that other U of A apparel manufacturers have not disclosed locations, we can hardly afford to be complacent about our University's involvement in labor abuse.

    Furthermore, it is important to keep in mind that disclosure of factory locations is only the necessary first step. Real progress will have been achieved when workers are in a position to fight for and win a living wage and the other rights that are necessary for a decent quality of life. on these issues, Nike's website tells us to "stay tuned." But these are goals to fight for, not merely matters of entertainment. Rather than "stay tuned," we must stay engaged.
Finally, however one assesses Nike's move, it is a testament to the power of ordinary people taking a stand for justice and freedom.

Sincerely,

the members of Students Against Sweatshops
 

source:  Arizona Wildcat, October 11, 1999.