Search

ARCHIVES
CONTACT US
WORLD NEWS

Nike concerns remain

To the editor,

I read the editorial ("SAS should stand by labor resolution with Likins," 2/16/00) with interest, hoping to find out what colleges are affiliated with the WRC (Workers Rights Consortium) and how much money they are pumping into the group and what they're actually doing. Guess what? Four colleges, three of which are small, liberal arts colleges, no figures, and endorsements by some of America's best-loved personalities, like Noam Chomsky and the Free Burma Coalition.

Why has no one done some type of study as to exactly how much Nike is pumping into the UA in terms of equipment and clothing for athletes? In other words, the issue at stake is more than just a T-shirt with a university logo that you buy at the bookstore. If Nike were to fold up and leave tomorrow, how would we pay for all of this? Tuition hike? Bake sale?

Open a local sweatshop? I'm not for wretched working conditions and worker exploitation with brutal overseers, but the SAS has not articulated what to do about the larger picture of these goods making their way onto college campuses. While their web site claims their actions are not a boycott, they don't offer a comprehensive overview of their campaign - by their own admission. This is like waiting for negotiations to commence and then listing your demands.

Yisrael Ari Espinoza

Near eastern studies graduate student