Women’s Groups Put Foot Down on Nike

Fifteen U.S. women’s groups, author Alice Walker and U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Los Angeles), who heads the Congressional Black Caucus, joined forces to put pressure on Nike Inc. to improve conditions for its workers in Asia. The groups on Monday took issue with Nike’s latest advertising campaign, which features women empowered by athletics, saying Nike’s treatment of Asian factory workers--most of whom are young women--must improve if U.S. women are to buy Nike products in good conscience. The groups urged Nike Chief Executive Philip Knight to pay Asian factory workers fair wages and institute independent monitoring of its factories by local, respected groups. Nike last month severed ties with four Indonesian factories because they failed to adhere to the company’s requirements for wages and working conditions. The company, which has come under significant pressure from human rights groups over its labor practices in Asian factories, has outlined plans to expand sales of its soccer, golf and women’s footwear.