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Wiley: Adidas issues serious
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Also by Peter Sielski:
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by Peter Sielski
Thursday, April 26, 2007
Chancellor John Wiley acknowledged Wednesday that Adidas has not completely fulfilled its promise to clean up its labor practices at some of its Central American factories.
During a meeting with Dawn Crim — the chancellor's assistant director of community relations, who was sent to El Salvador this month to investigate conditions at Adidas factories — Wiley said Crim discovered many things the university has "serious concerns" about.
"Things may have been both as we expected, and other things that are not so good, and then there are other things that we had serious concern about," Wiley said in response to Crim's report. "We have already made a lot of progress, but the question now is how to make more."
Crim was sent to El Salvador to investigate claims of worker maltreatment and what action Adidas was taking to fulfill its contract requirements.
Wiley did not make a final decision about the contract at the meeting. Instead, he informed the UW community about Crim's findings and said the legal complexity of the issue requires the university to go into closed session at a later date.
"In general, we came to give you an update," Wiley said. "To go further, we need to do things that we can only do in a closed session."
Crim, who traveled to El Salvador with representatives from other universities — including Duke, Maryland and Colorado — said she not only visited the various facilities where the employees worked, but also spoke to many of the workers who were fired and supposedly blacklisted in the aftermath of an incident at the Hermosa factory.
Most workers at the factory are currently being paid above the minimum wage of $157.25 per month, Crim said, in an area where the cost of rent and utilities is roughly $50 per month.
Crim also noted that the factories the employees worked in were comparable to those found in Wisconsin in terms of cleanliness and technology.
However, the investigation also uncovered that Adidas did not completely fulfill their labor quality requirements, as defined by previous rulings.
"I think that the chancellor finally acknowledged that the facts are clear — that Adidas violated the code of conduct, workers lives are on the line and we need to do something," Student Labor Action Coalition member Joel Feingold said. "Now it is a question of how seriously we want to do something about it."
Wiley said completely cutting ties with Adidas "is one option," but added taking a self-righteous stand would "only distance us" from influencing further progress regarding labor abroad.
"It is our intention to not just let this drop," Wiley said. "We have ongoing concerns about this that need to be addressed."
Some SLAC members disagreed with Wiley's statements at the meeting, citing a lack of "teeth" in the talks with the manufacturer.
"I would like the chancellor to initiate the contract cut process," Feingold said. "If you show that you are not serious about the repercussions, then there would be no reason for Adidas to believe them."
Anonymous (April 26, 2007 @ 2:38am):
"Some SLAC members disagreed with Wiley's statements" - YA THINK?
It could be, "Wiley argued that all workers at UW will be paid $500,000 a year," and you would read, "Joel Feingold [yes, that Feingold] and Nick Limbeck commented, 'Ashok told us that, he thinks ... it ... smells like poopy head. So we hate it. boooo. let's get high!'"
Anonymous (April 26, 2007 @ 5:48am):
Did anybody ask one of the El Salvadoran workers what they thought UW should do?
Anonymous (April 26, 2007 @ 7:37am):
All Day I Dream About Slave-labor
Anonymous (April 26, 2007 @ 7:56am):
All this infighting in the comments is overlooking the stunning resemblance between Wiley and Grandpa Simpson.
Anonymous (April 26, 2007 @ 8:56am):
5:48-- Yes, SLAC members have talked on the phone with Salvadoran workers for several years now, and their recommendation was to cut it.
Anonymous (April 26, 2007 @ 10:58am):
"stunning resemblance between Wiley and Grandpa Simpson"
As Nelson would say, "Ha Ha."
Anonymous (April 26, 2007 @ 10:59am):
8:56
That's good. I would hate to think that the physical needs of the workers were being sacrficed to the political interests of those who purport to speak for them. So, I guess these workers who wanted the contract cut, just quit. Right?
Anonymous (April 26, 2007 @ 11:45am):
10:59-- No. They were fired three years ago, completely blacklisted by adidas, and robbed of social security, health care, severance, and back wages that were contractually owed to them. They want the contract cut to pressure adidas into paying to them what is owed. They, just like SLAC I'm sure, would be happy if adidas followed through on their responsibilities and reinstated these workers at a sister factory nearby.
Anonymous (April 26, 2007 @ 12:55pm):
"...an area where the cost of rent and utilities is roughly $50 per month."
Sweet, maybe UW could open a satelite campus?
Anonymous (April 26, 2007 @ 2:28pm):
Why does everything boil down to self-righteous boobs on both sides? Look, the customer is ALWAYS right. Screw Adidas for not begging for your forgiveness; instead, they tell you why you're wrong and why you have to keep buying their products.
Someone has to get some damn satisfaction, and it should be one buying the product.
Don't let business, Adidas or otherwise, hold their bottomline over your satisfaction.
Anonymous (April 26, 2007 @ 4:19pm):
For crying out loud, people are still protesting these athletic wear company's labor practices??? That's such a 1990's story...
Anonymous (April 26, 2007 @ 8:34pm):
2:28--
Isn't UW the customer in this case? So the university should be right, except that adidas is jerking us around and lying to us. Problem.
Anonymous (May 1, 2007 @ 12:00am):
interesting article, the question basically is: would you pay $10 more if it was said that money would go to these workers..?
And mentioning one brand is kinda lame..it is the same for all global producers..ever saw a playstation 3 factory...?
Anonymous (March 6, 2008 @ 2:58pm):
i heard u enploy children in places like afeica is this true?
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