Members of the Students for Economic Justice, as well as other labor-conscious students, gathered at noon at South Building in the latest of their continued efforts against Nike.
"Nike has not been responsible for any positive action in this situation," said senior SEJ member Kea Parker.
SEJ is specifically angry with the situation in the Kukdong factory in Puebla, Mexico. The factory's management has been accused of unfair and abusive labor practices. In January, 800 workers at the Kukdong factory staged a strike against the poor conditions, and now SEJ is concentrating its efforts on ensuring a safe return for workers who went on strike and pressuring Nike to allow the workers to form an independent union.
Recent negotiations between Nike and the Kukdong management have resulted in the corporation offering provisions for rehired workers to receive the wages, positions and vacation time they had prior to the strike.
Despite Nike's new promises, students said it was necessary to protest. The students entered South Building with candles and placed them in the shape of the Nike emblem on a table outside Chancellor James Moeser's office. One protester held a poster asking for Moeser's help: "Chancellor Moeser: Call Nike Now."
Group members said they were frustrated with Moeser's absence. They acknowledged the letters he has sent to Nike in the last month but also noted he has failed to set up a meeting with SEJ.
"We have been requesting meetings with him through e-mails for the past month and a half, but he has never organized a meeting with SEJ," Parker said.
Although Moeser was not present for this protest, Provost Robert Shelton stumbled upon the walkout. "I was walking into the building, and I noticed a group of young people gathered on the stairs," he said. Shelton took the opportunity to hear SEJ's position in the Nike issue.
"For the University to have any influence on the situation, there must be a long, complex discussion because there are several factors involved -- a major corporation, a major university and a new foreign government," he said.
