ACADEMICS STUDYING NIKE and REEBOK- Korea NIKE SUBCONTRACT FACTORIES

Next Time someone tries to say that the Athletic Apparel industry is better off in Korea, read this. Click on photo for story:

EXHIBIT 1

Anti-Sweatshop Group Finds Abuses at Korean Factory That Produced College Apparel By MARTIN VAN DER WERF in Chronicle of Higher Education Article, January 26, 2001, A 39. 

 

 

  The Worker Rights Consortium, a nascent anti-sweatshop group,

  said Thursday that there is "substantial evidence of severe

  ongoing violations" of labor standards at a Korean-owned

  factory in Mexico that has produced licensed apparel for at

  least 11 American colleges and universities.

 

  The report is the first from the organization, formed last

  year amid student protests to monitor the conditions under

  which apparel with collegiate names or logos is made. The

  factory, which was hit by a general strike January 9, is a

  contractor for Nike and Reebok, although apparently only Nike

  makes collegiate apparel at the facility. It is owned by

  Kukdong International, a South Korean company ....

A Nike official immediately criticized the report, and said it

  points up the shortcomings of the consortium's monitoring

  approach, which is based on responding to worker complaints.

 

  "It's just parachuting into a country, conducting a few

  interviews, and writing a report in a few days," said Vada O.

  Manager, director of global issues management for Nike.

  "Thorough monitoring involves culling through records,

  matching up pay stubs, getting a sense of the local practices

  and culture. There is a lot more involved in auditing and

  monitoring than what that report represents." ...  

Chronicle subscribers can read this article on the Web at this address:

http://chronicle.com/daily/2001/01/2001012601n.htm

 

 

EXHIBIT 2 

Nike Student Monitoring Report: Korea
Young Ju Ko

REEBOK IN KOREA