A-Infos (en) Nike in Mexico (plus more)

["Shawn Ewald" <shawn@wilshire.net>]

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     A - I N F O S  N E W S  S E R V I C E
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NIKE: News (Nike producing in Mexico!), Policy, Shoes
February 6, 1998

NEWS: A report in the January 25 edition of the Oregonian newspaper
(published in Portland, Nike's hometown) stated that Nike is producing
athletic shoes in Mexico. According to that story, Feng Tay, a longtime Nike
partner based in Taiwan, entered into a management agreement with Mexico
City-based Rohcal in 1996 to make athletic shoes near Leon, Mexico. PLEASE:
Let us know if you have contacts in the area who could tell us about
conditions, wages and other issues at this factory.

POLICY: In our most recent Nike alert, we posted - without any statement of
our own principles - a notice advertising "Boycott Nike" bumper stickers. We
regret doing so and we hope that the following statement clarifies our position:

When Is a Campaign a Boycott?

You may have noticed that some of the struggles promoted by Campaign for
Labor Rights are called "campaigns" and others are called "boycotts." Many
people wonder how the decision is made as to when to call a boycott. That is
important question, one which goes to the heart of what our sweatshop
movement is about.

Campaign for Labor Rights came out of the Central America solidarity
movement. A key principle of solidarity is that one group should not decide
what is best for another group. That especially means that we in the global
north should not be making decisions for people in the global south. Central
America solidarity activists have forged strong links with the organizations
in Central America which seek to bring fundamental economic and social
justice to their own countries. Solidarity activists have a long history of
consulting with those organizations and taking direction from them. This
model of solidarity activism, more than anything else, explains the strength
and the impact of the Central America movement in the U.S., Canada and other
countries of the global north.

Each campaign promoted by Campaign for Labor Rights was initiated by some
other U.S. or Canadian organization. We refer to these as our "partner
organizations." Our partners consult with the union representing the workers
whose rights we support. Where repressive governments prohibit free trade
unions, our partners consult with the non-governmental organizations (NGOs)
who advocate for the workers. In either case, the standard is the same: We
work only with partners who take their direction from the unions or NGOs
representing the wishes of the workers. If we have reason to believe that a
partner is not taking direction from the workers whose lives are affected by
a campaign, then we draw back from that campaign.

We don't mean to oversimplify this issue. In countries where repressive
governments are in control, it's a huge challenge to determine what the
workers' wishes really are. Such difficulties do not alter the fundamental
issue. If we haven't determined what the workers want, we should back off
until we do have clear directions from them.

Some have pointed out, quite correctly, that all sweatshop campaigns have
the effect of boycotts. When we inform people of conscience about the
sweatshop practices of a given company, many of those people choose not to
buy products from that company while the campaign is in force. We respect
and support the choices made by informed consumers. That is not in
contradiction with the solidarity principle: Campaign for Labor Rights does
not call for a campaign unless the workers ask us to do so; we don't call
for a boycott unless the workers ask us to do so.

The sweatshop movement is about workers' rights. Even more important, this
is a movement for workers' empowerment. Correcting abuses is a goal of each
of these sweatshop campaigns. A much bigger goal is to support workers in
their struggle to establish free trade unions so that workers can advocate
for their own rights. Support for empowerment and a commitment to the
solidarity principle are inseparable.

SHOES: In our previous alert, we had a request for suggestions on what to do
with the shoes collected during the caravan leading up to April 18. We have
had a phenomenal response! There is a lot of passion and creativity out
there. Thanks to all of you who sent us replies. We will soon be posting a
compilation of the responses, plus (hopefully) a decision on what to do with
the shoes.


Labor Alerts: a service of Campaign for Labor Rights
To receive our email labor alerts, send a message to CLR@igc.apc.org
Phone: (541) 344-5410       Web site: http://www.compugraph.com/clr
Membership/newsletter. Send $35.00 to Campaign for Labor Rights, 1247
"E" Street SE, Washington, DC 20003. Sample newsletter available on
request.
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