ACADEMICS STUDYING NIKE and REEBOK - CANADA NIKE SUBCONTRACT FACTORIES

EXHIBIT A

http://www.oneworld.org/ips2/mar98/16_35_066.html (March, 1998).

NIKE SHAPE Report on Factory in Canada http://nikebiz.com/labor/sh_can.shtml 

SHAPE RESULTS http://nikebiz.com/labor/sh_res.shtml  

SHAPE RATING GUIDE http://nikebiz.com/labor/sh_form.shtml

April 14 2004 - Subject: Unions Call for UN Sanctions against Nike

Canadian Labour Congress
Glass, Molders, Pottery, Plastics & Allied Workers International Union
Industrial, Wood and Allied Workers of Canada
United Steelworkers of America
--- News Release ---
For Immediate Release Contacts: Adam Lee (412)
562-2482
Jean Lapointe (514)
850-2252
Rich Kline (610)
565-5051
Joe Da Costa (416)
247-8628
Bertrand Begin (613)
526-7415
Unions Call for UN Sanctions against Nike
Company Scored for Stomping on Labor Rights
Montreal/Toronto/Pittsburgh (14 April 2004) - Four unions representing over
three million workers in the US and Canada have called on the United Nations
to review Nike's affiliation with the UN Global Compact because, the unions
contend, Nike (NYSE: NKE) systematically violates workers' rights.
The UN Global Compact is an initiative that corporations seeking to cast
themselves as socially responsible affiliate to. In doing so, they commit
to make the nine Compact principles- concerning human rights, labor rights
and the environment- part of their strategy, culture and operations. Nike
affiliated itself to Compact in 2000.
In a letter to UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, Presidents of the four
unions claim that Nike systematically violates Compact's Principle Three,
that businesses should uphold the freedom of association and the effective
recognition of the right to collective bargaining.
The unions cite Nike's ongoing restructuring at its Bauer Nike Hockey
subsidiary. In 1995, when Nike purchased Bauer, the hockey apparel and
equipment producer employed over 1,100 union-represented workers at three
facilities in Canada. Bauer Nike Hockey recently announced plans to shut
two of the facilities and drastically downsize the third. Aside from Bauer
Nike Hockey, none of Nike's over 23 thousand employees are unionized.
"We believe that Nike's combined historic absence of union representation
and decimation of union representation at facilities that it acquired
demonstrate that Nike systematically violates workers' association and
collective bargaining rights," the unions state in the letter to Annan.
The unions note the limitations of Compact while still urging the UN to
raise this issue with Nike.
"While we understand that Compact currently has no mechanism to force
compliance with Compact principles, your website states that the Global
Compact Advisory Council is devising provisions 'to manage instances in
which companies are misusing there affiliation with the Global Compact'. We
believe that Nike should be reminded of this and should be subject to these
provisions if it fails to change course."
The unions that submitted the letter are the CLC, GMP, IWA Canada and USWA.
The Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) brings together 2.5 million workers that
are members of over 100 affiliate unions in a host of industries throughout
Canada. The Glass, Molders, Pottery, Plastics & Allied Workers
International Union (GMP) represents 50,000 workers in a broad range of
industries in the United States and Canada.
The Industrial, Wood and Allied Workers of Canada (IWA Canada) represents
over 50,000 workers in the forestry, manufacturing, building materials and
other industries throughout Canada. The United Steelworkers of America
(USWA) is a diversified union representing over 500,000 workers throughout
the US and Canada primarily in the metals, manufacturing and mining
industries as well as the service sector.

The letter to Annan was copied to heads of labor organizations taking an
active role in the UN Global Compact. It was also copied to the Executive
Head of Compact and to nearly 1,300 of Nike's top shareholders. The letter
can be viewed (click here)
- 30 -

OTTAWA, Mar 12, 1998 (IPS) - LABOUR: Nike's Troubles Over Workers' Pay Reach Canada  By Mark Bourrie
The ongoing union campaign against the sports goods giant Nike against its labour practices in third world factories moved to Canada this week.  And, after a spat with members of the Ottawa City Council, Nike withdrew a 50,000 dollar donation to build a new basketball court in a poor area of the Canadian capital. ... 'It's good to be able to say to small kids in China that `the people of Ottawa stood up for you. We did not take the money that should have gone to you','' said Carl Hetu, spokesman for the Canadian Catholic Organization for Development and Peace.

''Nike is not the victim here. The Third World kids are victims and the kids here are victims. They have been given false hopes, the way Nike gives false hopes to workers in their factories,'' Hetu declared.

''The less public debate there is on Third World issues, the better it is for Nike. You must take time to look at the origin of donations. Why did Nike build its factories in Indonesia and Vietnam instead of the Unites States and Canada? They went to Indonesia and Vietnam to profit from repressive regimes, and that's wrong,'' Hetu said

REEBOK IN CANADA