Friday, September 27, 1996
Sneakers against sweatshops
STOUGHTON, Mass. -- Paul Fireman, chairman and chief executive of Reebok International Ltd., on Thursday invited his counterpart at rival Nike to collaborate on a system to guard against poor workplace conditions at industry factories worldwide. ``With Nike's leadership in size, the combined market share strength of our brands, and Reebok's own experience in human rights, a collaboration could be awesome,'' Fireman said in a Boston speech. Nike rang up sales of $4.7 billion in fiscal 1995, while Reebok reported sales of $3.4 billion. Nike spokesman Keith Peters said that company's chairman and chief executive, Phil Knight, had not had a chance to consider Fireman's offer. But the issue of fair labor practices, Peters said, ``is a priority with us.''