Anti-sweatshop group will rally at NikeTown shops [They're mad at sweatshop for laying off workers!]

oregonlive.com ^ | July 29, 2006 | Helen Jung

[grundle]

A national anti-sweatshop group is planning rallies at three NikeTown stores today, in New York, Los Angeles and Chicago, urging Nike to maintain orders at a struggling unionized factory in the Dominican Republic.

Fliers will be handed out at stores in other cities, including Portland.

The group, United Students Against Sweatshops, alleges that Nike has been reducing orders at the BJ&B factory since it unionized in 2003. As a result of the reduced orders and the departure of other manufacturers, the factory has had to lay off hundreds of employees and faces a possible shutdown, said Gladys Cisneros, a national organizer for the group.

The workers make Flex Fit baseball caps for Nike, said Cisneros, whose group has been working with labor groups Workers Rights Consortium and the Solidarity Center to track the changes.

But Nike said its orders at the factory have remained generally stable the past three years and is forecasting an increase this year. The company also noted it has remained a customer even as other manufacturers dropped the factory.

Nike said it supports freedom of association and contracts with both unionized and nonunion factories.

"As long as BJ&B remains a viable, competitive source for production of Nike products, we expect to continue to place orders, hold the factory accountable to our standards and strive to improve conditions for workers," the statement said.

In addition to Portland, United Students Against Sweatshops volunteers will hand out fliers at NikeTown stores in Seattle, Boston, Miami, Denver and San Francisco.

[grundle]

According to anti-sweatshop activists, it's wrong for sweatshops to hire people. But now these same anti-sweatshop activists are criticizing a sweatshop for laying off workers.

[World_Events]

There's an oxy-MORON for ya

[BW2221]

Athletic shoes are like perfume in that much more is spent on advertising than manufacturing.

[Kleon]

According to anti-sweatshop activists, it's wrong for sweatshops to hire people. But now these same anti-sweatshop activists are criticizing a sweatshop for laying off workers.

This factory was unionized. That hardly seems like a sweatshop.

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[grundle]

This factory was unionized. That hardly seems like a sweatshop.

It still has third world wages and third world working conditions.

I'm pro-sweatshop. It's better than the manual farming jobs, famine, or prostitution that sweatshops help people to escape from. But I am consistenly in favor of sweatshops, regardless of their union or non-union status.

Perhaps the anti-sweatshop movement is really a front for the union organizers.