Nike CEO, Phil Knight

Activist take ownership of Nike!

Eugene, OR - March 8, 2001 The Living Wage Project announced the launch of their new program "Nike Shareholders for Justice" on International Women’s Day at the University of Oregon, the alma mater of Nike CEO, Phil Knight.

The Nike Shareholders for Justice campaign is a focused initiative aimed at educating and empowering Nike shareholders to act in a socially responsible manner with specific regard for the maintenance and respect of the rights of the women and men working in Nike’s subcontracted factories.

On their latest initiative Jim Keady, Director of the Project, commented, "We are going to use this program to bring a voice to the shareholders that has too long been silenced, the voice of the women and men that produce apparel and footwear for the Nike Corporation. We hope that through this work the true values of the shareholders will be reflected in the companies’ labor practices; values that set basic human dignity above a desire to maximize profit at ALL costs."

Leslie Kretzu, Associate Director of the Project, went on to say; "We strongly believe that our fellow shareholders are committed to exporting not only our capital, but also our commitment to democracy and a complete respect for human life." With regards to this program being launched on International Women’s Day Kretzu continued, "Given the documented fact that over 85% of Nike’s Indonesian labor force is female, it is fitting to initiate this program on International Women’s Day. It is our hope that this program will give all workers, particularly women factory workers, the opportunity to voice their concerns to Nike shareholders."

Keady and Kretzu spent this past summer living in solidarity on a $1.25 a day with Nike’s factory workers in Tangerang, Indonesia. Since their return in October, they have visited near 50 college campuses in the past four months on a National Speaking Tour that has brought them coast-to-coast to raise awareness about Nike’s abusive labor practices.

The Living Wage Project is a human rights initiative whose mission is to educate the public about the human stories of sweatshop workers and to educate the workers about their rights and worth in the global marketplace. Through such education, they strive to empower both workers and consumers to take action with the goal of establishing justice in the workplace and peace in our global family.