Nike targeted for Honduran labor abuses

Several months ago, clothing manufacturer Russel Athletic (RA) was targeted by several university student groups after being accused of unfair labor practices in Honduras. The University of Minnesota, Cornell University, and Purdue University were some of the schools who cut ties with RA over allegations such as threatening workers who wanted to unionize.

Some students at the University of Washington who campaigned against RA have now set their sights on another clothing firm: Nike.

The student group that led a successful effort to end the University of Washington's apparel-licensing contract with the Russell Corp. is at it again -- this time protesting a contract with Nike.

The Student Labor Action Project organized a rally Thursday of nearly 100 people with banners, chants and bagpipes to march through campus and into the UW president's office. When they reached the door, they got an unexpected response: President Mark Emmert was out of the country...

SLAP and the national Workers Rights Consortium contend factory owners are withholding $1.5 million in severance payments to workers at two shut-down Honduran factories that produced, among other things, Nike apparel featuring UW logos...

Regarding the current case involving Nike, the UW advisory committee is waiting for a Workers Rights Consortium report on the two Honduran factories: Huggar de Honduras and Vision Tex. The committee's goal, Arkans said, is to get the $1.5 million in severance money to the laid-off workers.

Image- cnet news
Online Sources- seattlepi.com, The Latin Americanist