Vietnamese Shoemakers Walk Out On Nike

More Than 20,000 Strike Demanding Higher Pay From Sports Apparel Giant

(AP)  More than 20,000 Vietnamese workers have walked off the job at a Taiwanese-owned plant that makes shoes for Nike Inc., demanding higher pay to keep pace with skyrocketing prices, officials said Tuesday.

The workers at Ching Luh plant, in southern Long An province, went on strike Monday. They want a 20 percent bump to their $59 average monthly salaries along with better lunches at the company cafeteria, said Nguyen Van Thua, an official with the province's trade union.

The plant has been making sneakers since 2002 and employs about 21,000 workers, most of them young rural women. The company is paying the workers 14 percent more than minimum wage, but soaring inflation is eroding their earnings, Thua said.

"The company has followed the Vietnamese laws in paying their workers, but given the fact that consumer prices are soaring day by day, the workers have had troubles with their daily expenses," Thua said.

Ching Luh plant is one of 10 factories that contract with Nike to produce sneakers in Vietnam. Nike's contractors in Vietnam make about 75 million pairs of shoes each year, and the Ching Luh plant accounts for about 12 percent, said Nike spokesman Chris Helzer.

"We recognize the impact that rising inflation has had on the people of Vietnam, and hope the situation will be resolved quickly and amicably," he said.

Consumer prices in Vietnam are 19 percent higher than they were a year ago, according to government figures. Hanoi responded in January by increasing the minimum wage foreign-owned companies are required to pay by roughly 13 percent.

As inflation has picked up in recent years, strikes have become more common, with workers demanding higher pay and better working conditions.

[omega39-2009]

The workers at Ching Luh plant, in southern Long An province, went on strike Monday. They want a 20 percent bump to their $59 average monthly salaries

So one pair of "Air Jordans" pays 3 workers salaries for a month. Buy New Balance, they are often cheaper and have 5 US based manufacturing facilities

[pollroller1]

They will just move the plant to another part of the world where they can get them made cheaper.

[liberalme]

The workers at Ching Luh plant, in southern Long An province, went on strike Monday. They want a 20 percent bump to their $59 average monthly salaries along with better lunches at the company cafeteria, said Nguyen Van Thua, an official with the province''s trade union.

$59.00 a month wages--and Nike charges how much for a pair of sneakers??

No wonder American jobs are outsourced!!! Where else can a corporation make 900% profit??

There are a lot of American made products--just google what you''re looking for.
Personally I am sick of supporting big corporations and promoting "slave" labor in other countries!!

[rushlimpdrug]

"They want a 20 percent bump to their $59 average monthly salaries"

Are they crazy!
Just proves they are greedy baastards.

Pull the plant and put it somewhere where people will
appreciate hard work, long hours and low wages.

[harp1963]

$59 dollars a month. You billionaires out there that think we are here because two rocks collided in outer space should reevaluate your thinking on taking advantage of the least of our brother. If you don''t think there is a higher being that created us, you are dumb.

In a youth ministry class we asked the kids if they knew who Andrew Carnegie was. They didn''t have a clue. So, here is a guy that died 50 or so years ago, that if his money from being the head of the U.S. Steel industry during WW 2 were in today''s money, he would blow Bill Gates and Warren Buffett out of the water. So what is he now? Completely forgotten by 99% of the worlds population. But, what about this poor carpenter, who was the son of a poor carpenter from some obscure town in the middle of the desert that people chose to be fed to lions rather than say they don''t believe in Him. His name has traveled around the world for 2008 years and you could ask just about any person on the planet and they would tell you they have heard of Him or more. 99% of this was accomplished with the poorest most cave man like communication techniques available.

And many still don''t believe in Divine Intervention.



http://money.cnn.com/2004/08/02/news/fortune500/nike_endorsements/index.htm

http://www.slate.com/id/2083478/

[lily1972]

AND THEY OUTSOURCE JOBS OUT OF THE U.S

[shuggie55]

our government allows this *** - we need change

[flreason]

Welcome to the world of capitalism. You can only exploit the underclass so long before they realize their power in numbers and begin to organize. The Internet makes it harder for big business to endlessly exploit workers because they can''t control the flow of knowledge and information. Every time China tries to limit Internet access, young Chinese computer geeks have found a way around it within hours. The pendulum swung as far to the right as it could, now it''s headed back to center. Let''s hope we can survive long enough to see the rape-and-pillage capitalists return to humanity.

[joyous88]

Shoemakers????

Thats a lie,

These are slaves for corporate america, this is greed driven american capitalism

and this is why we have terrorists trying to kill us,

because we kill them with our piggish, swinish,

greed driven neo con capitalism,

making slaves of men ,women and even children,

still proud to be a republicon?

[rushlimpdrug]

"Vietnamese Shoemakers Walk Out On Nike"

You''d think that being a Nike plant they''d dash out.

[joyous88]

flreason ,, great post and spot on!

The neo con evangelical is responsible for the fall

of a once great america, now hated throughout the

world

[joyous88]

right on liberalme

the greed driven repunlicons are responsible for this

rape and torture of children being turned into slaves

[fstop100]

So Nike has to pay millions for endorsements, they can''t afford to pay workers too. How about we start making products in America?

[stn_sage]

YIKES! $59 dollars a month average pay! No wonder shoe companies deserted America for S.E. Asia!

Yes, if inflation is soaring there on a daily basis, at only $59 a month, I suppose they DO need a healthy increase! At such a low monthly wage, companies have a lot of ''cushion'' built-in and can afford the increases!

OR, hey, they can always come back to America and set up shop, we need jobs here!

[flreason]

"As an earlier posted noted - YOU CAN STILL FIND & BUY MADE IN USA products - it takes a little time and effort but they are still out there.

Buy Made in USA - the job you save may be your OWN!!!"
Posted by rp44_63

Better yet, buy as much as possible from thrift and reconsignment stores, especially charity ones. There is no child labor/exploitation involved, the money all stays in the community, it is environmentally friendly (less need to continually exploit natural resources), the money goes to help those who most need it rather than to some CEO, and you can get really good stuff at affordable prices, and you can feel good about your purchase at the same time. Win-win-win-win-win-win! Ditto for farmers'' markets.

[liberalme]

Better yet, buy as much as possible from thrift and reconsignment stores, especially charity ones. There is no child labor/exploitation involved, the money all stays in the community, it is environmentally friendly (less need to continually exploit natural resources), the money goes to help those who most need it rather than to some CEO, and you can get really good stuff at affordable prices, and you can feel good about your purchase at the same time. Win-win-win-win-win-win! Ditto for farmers'''' markets.

Posted by flreason at 11:32 AM

Great suggestion---I do this all the time---people would be surprised to see how many people shop in thrift stores--it''s not just for the poor anymore--lots of people with $$$ shop in them all the time!!

Also, we could also shop at local farmers markets--those who really want to save money can go back to canning etc--many rural communities never stopped!
Hey--it could be a family thing!

[flreason]

p.s. Made in the USA can be misleading. Sometimes things labeled as such are manufactured elsewhere and assembled in the US, just as some foods that have a US label can be grown elsewhere and processed in the US.

Whenever possible, try to buy from local producers. The more consumers seek out goods from local growers/producers/manufacturers, the more things will become available to meet the demand. Buying direct also means that the middlemen don''t get rich at the expense of those doing the work. It is ethical capitalism--which doesn''t have to be an oxymoron. The Quakers helped usher in the fixed price system by only offering quality goods at a fair price, produced by free men and women--never with slaves or exploitation. It''s a good model to copy.

[sistatee-2009]

The CEO of Nike should be publicly executed and his body thrown in a slit trench. Following that everyone invested in Nike should receive the same treatment, including mutual fund managers, stock brokers, 401-k and pension plan managers, and every individual who profits from Nike''s operations. All in all that would amount to 75 to 100 million people, myself included.

[antoniof123]

Vietanm welcome to capitalism, it only gets worse from here.

The world though that we have is so good they wanted in on it now they find that it only works for one to have it.

LOL it gets better from here folks we are heading down the path of no return.

[clevercandi]

Fireason, I try to buy American and can hardly find anything. I went to Farm and fleet to buy some boots and could only find made in China, so i thought well I''''ll buy the Caterpiller boots, certainly they''''re made in the USA, then looked at the bottom of the box and it said made in China. It''''s hard to find anything made in the USA anymore. When I was young evrything was made in the USA and was made well. What happened?


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Posted by sillywilly4 at 12:25 PM : Apr 01, 2008

I''ll tell you what happened, sillywilly4 -- we priced ourselves right out of our jobs! I grew up in Indiana and knew several people who didn''t work Monday-Friday at the local General Motors plant, but worked 12 and 15 hours a day on Saturday and Sunday so they would be paid time and a half and/or double time. Americans want to sit on their bottoms all day, playing games or shopping on the internet, while earning $20/hour; however, they only want to pay the lowest prices possible for the commodities they receive.

It''s only going to get worse, no matter who we vote into office in November. "Fasten your seat belts, it''s going to be a bumpy ride!"

[flreason]

In order to return manufacturing to the U.S., Americans are going to have to return to the days when we saved our money for purchases...even shoes. Thank God for the Internet. At least it allows us to find American goods and manufacturers. Revitalizing the American economy, including domestic manufacturing, won''t happen overnight, but the Internet will make it a whole lot easier. But it will only happen if we spend our money strategically. Buy local, buy American.

[liberalme]

Fireason, I try to buy American and can hardly find anything. I went to Farm and fleet to buy some boots and could only find made in China, so i thought well I''''ll buy the Caterpiller boots, certainly they''''re made in the USA, then looked at the bottom of the box and it said made in China. It''''s hard to find anything made in the USA anymore. When I was young evrything was made in the USA and was made well. What happened?

Posted by sillywilly4

Just do a search for boots made in the usa--there are several.

That''s what I do now for any item I''m looking for--so I can''t shop right at the store--guess those days are pver for now--but I will buy as much Amreican made products as I can.

[cbsblogger]

Larry Kudlow and his ilk with the media mouthpiece such as CNBC will attempt to tell us that it is good for America. But our day of reckoning is coming, and we the people will suffer greatly. Our demise will be due directly to policies that favored the rich and multi-nationals.

Was it Bill Maher who said that it might be time to dust off the guillotine?

[smiley676]

cbsblogger
wow, really?

We might have a downfalll, but it''s not from favoring the rich. It will be from being such pushovers and giving in to every crying baby that asks for something to be handed to him rather than work for it.

[cbsblogger]

You can see a loss in quality of products (that were formerly Made in USA) whether it be shoes, clothing, tools, furniture, etc.

The price of products has been contained but the quality has been significantly reduced. Americans in general can''t afford the quality of product that is made in the USA because so many US jobs that provided value-added were replaced by menial service jobs that provide little value added.

[flreason]

cbsblogger
wow, really?

"We might have a downfalll, but it''''s not from favoring the rich. It will be from being such pushovers and giving in to every crying baby that asks for something to be handed to him rather than work for it."
Posted by smiley676

There are a lot of factors that are involved in the implosion of the economy, but unbridled greed is certainly a contributor. Many of the people you''re stereotyping as crybabies work hard. Welfare queens no longer exist, if they ever did.

When employers lose sight of the fact that in a capitalist society one hand has to wash the other--that exploitation and maintaining a permanent underclass so that you will have low wage workers who will help support higher wages for management cannot be maintained indefinitely without a backlash--they invite economic disintegration. The more inclusive an economy is, the more successful it is. Forgetting that can have dire consequences. Relearning the lesson can be equally painful. Taxes are necessary to maintain the infrastructure of a civil society. If you want to cut government spending, reduce the salaries of bureaucrats. Then you will attract people who are dedicated, not people looking to get rich at the taxpayers'' expense. Institute a fair, flat tax rate for individuals and businesses. These are common sense solutions. All we need are public servants ethical enough to enact them. We had them in 1776, and I think they do still exist.

[yongamerica]

I''m glad to see the workers stand up for better pay. Considering the $58 per month salary these workers are making and how inflated Nike shoe prices are compared to these wages, It seems that the upper management can together afford to loose a million dollars in bonuses to meet the rising economies of third world countries or bring their manufacturing back to the US.

[mjvw2]

''''Bout time those kids stood up for their rights!


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Posted by dragonwagon5

they used to have the right to work. now they will be replaced by ones who want to work. the way of the world

[gkc99]

Certainly wouldn''t want to cut into Phil Knight''s billions!

But where can they outsource to from Vietnam? Chad?

The race to the bottom.

Boycott Nike.

[rushlimpdrug]

This is great news!
Boeing will now be able to have a cheap labor force for outsourcing its labor.
Too bad these kids aren''t a little older and smarter so they could work for the airlines or at meat packing plants.
The possibilities are endless!
Just think what they''d do for $65.00/mo. and some twinkies!

[fstop100]

What does the CEO of Nike make a year, including bonuses and options?

[bookwerm314]

All the "magic savings" Business has made by exporting manufacturing around the world (mostly China of course) WILL come back and bite them in the rear.. why? Well, the US dollar is worth half as much (which means the "cheap labor" cost doubled), AND their is huge cost growths IN china for labor, along with other places.. so for all they did, they just postponed price rise, didn''t remove it.. AND they have destroyed the US economy so fewer folks ahve MONEY to buy their stuff! Duh.

[theantirick]

59 bucks a month !!!!!!!!! amazing
give them a 5 dollar a month raise so they can start investing their huge profits in stock market..L.O..L...
I cant even begin to think of the amount of profit nike makes on each pair of shoes they sell...

[mgpm-2009]

GOOD. Hope they get the raise they deserve. Nike is one of those crappy companies.

[Syndicate]

At $59 a month, It would take a few months to buy a pair of nikes for themselfs. What do Nikes go for these days. $150.00?

[rudy654-2009]

Don''t forget that they are also the beneficiaries of all those tax breaks while they mass produce this krap cheaply to sell to us expensively.

[rudy654-2009]

At $59 a month, It would take a few months to buy a pair of nikes for themselfs. What do Nikes go for these days. $150.00? Posted by Cbscrash07 at 06:26 PM

And don''t think they sell them any cheaper over there, they don''t. They are just as expensive to buy.

[hissteps4u]

It is time to boycott Nike who by paying dismal wages to a third world country to sell at TOP Dollar across the Globe on the backs of others efforts.

This is so bad it hurts my soul

Pass this story to every man woman in the known world let us UNite against this Giant who by the way is in my backyard in Oregon and let us send a resounding message that we simply wont allow such things to occur anymore.

I could hire the workers here, buy the machines required and still turn a profit and make a great shoe this is so unnecessary in todays world

Grow up phill and stop doing business this way

[veteran72]

Trust me, if Corporate Scumbags could get away with chaining your asss to a machine and beat and whip you into working 18 hrs a day, 7 days a week, believe me, they''d be doing it. Boycott ALL Corporate Bushitt.
Refuse to buy ANY Off-Shored Corporate Sweat Shop goods. Shut off your cable and tune out the Corporate Fascist Nooz. You don''t need their crapp, let ''em shrivel up and die.

[hypnotoad72]

Uh-oh. WWTWD? What Would Tiger Woods Do? :eek:

And who''d work for scab wages; though if the rumors of sweatshop conditions are true...? And will those shoes now cost $300 instead of $150?

[jn122736]

I''''m glad to see the workers stand up for better pay. Considering the $58 per month salary these workers are making and how inflated Nike shoe prices are compared to these wages, It seems that the upper management can together afford to loose a million dollars in bonuses to meet the rising economies of third world countries or bring their manufacturing back to the US.
Posted by yongamerica at 02:27 PM : Apr 01, 2008
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Make no mistake about it, those manufacturing jobs will not return to the United States until our working class finally reaches true third-world status.

It is absolutely certain that we will reach that level because the only jobs available are service industry jobs and the wealth/assets of the working class will continue to evaporate.

As a wise person said not too long ago: That loud, sucking sound you hear is the wealth/assets of the working class being swirled away like a giant vacuum.

[swwils]

Nike needs to cough up the green ,those poor people work in sweat shop conditions so the CEO''s and CFO''s can get their golden parachutes.Screw that,make the executives stitch those shoes themselves.No that is blue collar work they would never get one pair completed in a month.

[stezzer]

Get lost Nike..."Just Do It"...

Allegedly Puma, Umbro, Fila, Adidas, Reebok, and ASICS also exploit their workers according to a report by Oxfam.

Leave their goods gathering dust in the shops until they learn the real meaning of fair play.

[number10thou]

Well so much for communism helping regular people. Was talking to young guy at Da Nang U whose Uncle had been a VC. He said the party members kids all had the good stuff now..what''s the difference? I said there is none. He said we weren''t really fighting for Communism, we were fighting against Imperialism. This strange guy..we weren''t really fighting for Imperialism, we were fighting against Communism..this is getting interesting..but then he just disappeared..for some reason. Then we became a refugee center, and now I have Vietnamese and Laotian friends..somebody threw us together back then..and then they just shook the jar..they knew what we would do to each other...for them.