okay, a couple videos.
Yeah, usually when people post youtube videos in an internet debate it's a bullshit move, but this is a bit different, considering in the videos they actually go to the sweatshops and interview the people who work there. Turns out the results from that paint a much different picture than the one you do. But then again, who should we trust about what it's like to work in a sweat shop? On one hand we have you and Nike PR reports and on the other we have people who actually work there. Gee, this is a tough one. Let me get back to you on this.
this is from businessweek in 2004. even then, they were already leading the pack in that arena:
And the video I posted was from 2008(Somehow the utterly thorough Nike factory investigations you refer to above missed this):
Human trafficking in Nike's sweatshop factory in MalaysiaAnd this is from this year:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2014325/Nike-workers-kicked-slapped-verbally-abused-factories-making-Converse-line-Indonesia.htmlHave you ever actually considered that the factory owners take the Nike inspectors(and most investigators) on phony tours? Or threaten their workers that if they accurately describe their conditions that they will be beaten or fired? Do these thoughts ever cross your mind? But you know, whatever.
It's funny to think about how many millions Nike spends on just avoiding paying people livable wages. How much would it increase the pay of a Nike factory worker, if instead of spending all the millions they spend on PR and these factory inspections, they just gave the money to those factory workers? What would it increase their pay by if you split it evenly amongst them I wonder?
the real issue that i think people tend to lose focus of, is that nike doesn't actually own or operate any of the factories that make their stuff. the real problems (including falsification of factory documents such as payroll records, lack of effective grievance systems for disgruntled workers and hiring practices that do not ensure minimum age standards are met) are the responsibility of the actual factory owners first, and the respective govt's and their legislation second.
Am I missing something here? Corporations know the facts that you describe. Everyone does. It's known that operating costs are nothing in countries where you don't have to worry about workplace standards or regulations. That's
why the corporations moved their production there in the first place. It's not like corporations are some metaphoric ostrich who just assume the factories they use have found some magical formula to produce their goods at prices no humane countries can. They are aware that it costs money to pay your workers a decent wage, they are aware it costs money to make your factory conditions safe and not insanely hot, they are aware that it costs money to put in fire exits or to build a factory to code so it doesn't spontaneously collapse. Nike and other corporations do not want to pay these costs. So they don't. They move productions to countries where they know workplace conditions are terrible. So for them, and you, to then say "well geez it's really the factory owners who are responsible for this... we just wanted to pay them next-to-nothing, we didn't know anything about the squalid conditions!" ...Is about as dumb as you can get. Don't be this stupid or a corporate apologist. It's gross.
i think nike has taken on a ton of the burden for making the factories a better place to work, but if you expect them to do anything further than inspecting, grading, publicizing, etc, then you might as well be petitioning for them to open their own factories in the US and only employ union workers. it's also not like they've been seeing unreal profit margins as a result. i'll re-quote the first line from the above excerpt for those that missed the numbers:
Yeah they've had a real rough go of it. I shed a tear for them nightly.
but you don't hear anyone criticizing the obliteration of US textile quotas do you?
Um... Are you fucking kidding?
Everyone is criticizing the WTO and NAFTA for this and other policies. Of course not everyone knows exactly why their factory shut down, those that are able to find out why are pretty fucking bummed. And it's not like these policies force corporations to move their production. They have a choice. They've decided to increase their profits off the backs of some desperate slaves all the way on the other side of the world... Everybody wins! Wait... what? What's called globalization is a massive castatrofuck for the majority of the world, and certainly for American workers. Also for the environment, which suffers greatly when pollution is increased and massive amounts of resources are used needlessly transporting goods all the way across the world that could have been produced here. Estimates put the figure over 3 million jarbs in the past decade alone have been outsourced. What's our unemployment rate again? You're a straight up idiot if you think this has been good for american society, or even the american economy. It's been great if you own stock in Nike, or are Phil Knight, or want a slightly cheaper pair of shoes. Otherwise, fuck no. It's been terrible.
i just think in the big picture, nike does what it can, being as large as it is, and that there are far more worthy targets that are easier to hit. i mean prod just signed to target right? check their record. they contract to almost three times as many factories as nike, have no oversight committee in place at all, and guess what parent company makes most of the house label stuff for target? the same ones that made elwood. and i fucken loved elwood.
Certainly there are worse offenders. This thread is about Koston, and Nike was brought up.
yall can't fuck with me on this. i know my shit player.
Oy vey. Are you a libertarian?