WHO MAKES OUR NIKE PRODUCTS?
WHAT YOU DON'T KNOW ABOUT THE TREATMENT OF THEIR EMPLOYEES
Nike factory in China
As you can see, this factory is very crowded, and you can't see any fans or ventilation devices to deal with the toxic fumes.
Nike Factory in Vietnam
This factory almost looks like a cage with all of the bars, and is also very crowded.
Nike Workers In Factories Overseas
Nike, along with other footwear companies manufacturing overseas, have harsh conditions for their workers. Their earnings remain extremely low. According to an article from http://zero-drop.com,"Chinese workers make $1.75 a day, Vietnamese workers earn $l.60 a day, and Indonesian workers receive up to $2.46 a day." That is less than 1/3 of Connecticut's minimum hourly wage of $8.25. Besides the meager wages they earn, there are other things that are unfair and harmful to the workers. The factories enforce mandatory overtime, and the workers are constantly breathing in toxic fumes all day. The workers are sometimes even kicked, slapped, and verbally abused. Also, the do have children working in their factories
What Does This Mean?
A $100.00 pair of Nike running shoes cost only $5.00 to make. And if they are only paying the workers between $1-3 dollars a day to make them, that means that they are getting a huge margin of profit. Instead, shouldn't these companies be paying more to there workers overseas and improve the lives of thousands? Even if they raised there daily wage to $10.00 a day for an 8 hour work day, they would still have a huge profit. Nike, and other brands should raise their wages and make the working conditions more humane.
What Should We Do About This?
We could write a letter, including a petition, asking Nike to...
- improve ventilation to help control toxic fumes
- keep the workers safe by having rules against abuse
- stop using child labor in their factories
- raise their income, to an amount that could allow them to support their family
- give them a day off, so they can have time to spend with family and friends
- have rules against overtime and give fair hours
This will help pressure Nike into doing the right thing and fixing these problems, so their workers can have lives.
My Sources
Please visit these websites for more information on modern day slavery and forced labor!