Women in the labour movement held solidarity actions across the US, joining the call of Asian garment workers, Global Labor Justice (GLJ), and the Asia Floor Wage Alliance’s (AFWA) Fight the Heist campaign, to demand justice in NIKE’s supply chain.
Over 20 garment sector unions from six countries along with Global Labor Justice and Asia Floor Wage Alliance launched the Fight the Heist campaign to demand Nike ensure fair pay in its supply chain. In addition, unions representing workers at Nike factories have filed an OECD complaint with the US National Contact Point. It alleges that Nike has contributed to “severe human rights impacts” for garment workers in its supply chain but has not addressed and remediated the impacts according to the OECD Guidelines on Responsible Business Conduct.
The groups are calling on Nike to take responsibility for the alleged human rights crisis supply chain workers faced during the pandemic as a result of the brand’s actions and to ensure workers are paid enough to avoid future crises.
During the actions across eight cities from New York to Nike’s hometown of Portland, women labour activists called on Nike to make good on its claims to champion racial and gender equality by meeting workers’ demands adding Nike “spends billions on advertising while it reaps huge profits from the exploitation of the women who make its shoes and clothing.”
In New York City, women union members and allies rallied outside the New York Stock Exchange, calling on industry investors attending the Footwear Distributors and Retailers Association Supply Chain Summit to demand Nike come to the table with its supply chain workers and their unions to negotiate an agreement.
“Nike likes to talk a lot about equality. Until it pays the women who make Nike clothing and shoes a decent wage, we know it’s all talk,” said Yolanda Pearson, leader of the Communication Workers of America’s Women’s Committee. “So we’re calling women and union activists across the US to take action in support of our sisters in Asia.”
“As Nike gears up for the Olympics, women workers linked arms from Jakarta to New York to tell Nike to do better for women and pay living wages,” said Jacob Horwitz, field director of Global Labor Justice.
“Nike makes massive profits from the labour of women garment workers in Asia and by selling the image of women athletes and stars in the US today women in the labour movement called on Nike to put its money where its mouth is and pay living wages.”
Nike did not return a request for comment when approached by Just Style.
