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Global Exchange has drafted the following sign-on letter to Nike CEO Philip Knight.

They are asking for both individuals and groups to sign on. They are especially interested in getting signatures from groups and prominent individuals in the religious, human rights, women, investor, social justice, academic and sports communities.

Please print, sign and return the letter to:

Global Exchange 2017 Mission Street, #303 San Francisco, CA 94110

Questions?

Contact Global Exchange: 415-255-7296 or gx-info@globalexchange.org

May, 1997

Philip Knight

CEO, Nike Corporation

One Bowerman Drive

Beaverton, OR 97005

Dear Mr. Knight,

We, the undersigned, are deeply concerned about ongoing problems in factories in Indonesia and Vietnam that produce Nike shoes. These problems include inadequate pay, forced overtime, and abusive treatment of workers. The massive recent strikes involving 10,000 workers in Indonesia and 1,300 in Vietnam give new urgency to the need to find a solution.

We understand that Nike has taken some actions to address these problems, including creating a Labor Relations Department, hiring the accounting firm Ernst and Young to monitor the factories, hiring former Ambassador Andrew Young to review implementation of Nike's Code of Conduct, joining Business for Social Responsibility and participating in the United States Presidential task force on sweatshops.

However, none of these moves has been adequate to address the root of the problem, which is that Nike is not paying its overseas workers a living wage. The wage in Vietnam of $1.60 a day is not enough for three decent meals a day, let alone housing, transportation, clothing and health care. In Indonesia, the government itself says that the minimum wage, which is now $2.50 a day in Jakarta, covers only 90 percent of the basic subsistence needs of one person.

Nike, with its tremendous financial resources, should and must do better.

We call on Nike to take two steps:

1. Pay workers enough for them to live decent, dignified lives. In Vietnam that means at least $3 a day, and in Indonesia at least $4 a day.

2. Institute independent monitoring by respected groups that can communicate well with both the company and the workers. For Indonesia, we urge you to immediately hire the Indonesian Sports Shoe Monitoring Network, and for Vietnam, Vietnam Labor Watch.

We urge you to take these actions quickly to avoid further trauma to the workers who make your products and further erosion of Nike's good name. If you pay your workers a living wage, and use these respected groups as monitors, we are certain that the company and the workers will all benefit, and that consumers will start feeling better again about buying your products.

Sincerely,

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