The situation is only getting worse for Adidas workers in Indonesia who have been robbed of the $1.8 million they earned sewing University of Wisconsin apparel for $0.60 an hour. It’s been a year that we’ve been demanding our Chancellor cut UW’s lucrative Adidas sponsorship agreement for refusing to pay 2,700 PT Kizone factory workers the millions they’re owed. Instead of listening to his own students, faculty and administrators, our Chancellor has chosen to shut out student voices and delay justice for the workers who sewed our Badger-logo apparel.
E-mail UW Chancellor Ward right now and demand that he support the PT Kizone workers who are still owed $1.8 million in severance. Then call him at 608–262–9946.
In two days, instead of putting Adidas on notice for violating its contract with our school, the UW will enter a secret “mediation” process with Adidas. The campaign has gone global – just today, PT Kizone workers protested in downtown Jakarta, consumers across Europe have demonstrated in front of Adidas stores. Now, all eyes are on the University of Wisconsin. The outcome of mediation will not only affect the workers, but set a precedent for what billionaire companies like Adidas and Nike can get away with in the global garment industry. If we let Adidas get away with stealing millions from their workers this time, they won’t think twice about doing the same in the over one million overseas factories that make Adidas products.
Take a minute to e-mail Chancellor Ward and urge him to take a stand for human rights; then call him at 608–262–9946.
Unchecked and greedy corporations like Adidas will continue to abuse their workers. Two years ago, Nike refused to pay $2.5 million in legally-owed severance pay to 1,800 workers in Honduras, but six months later, they were forced to, after our University became the first school to ever cut their contract with Nike, triggering Brown and Cornell to threaten to follow suit.
Nike only acted because universities stood up to them and forced them to comply with our anti-sweatshop codes. Despite their record profits of $17.4 billion last year, it’s clear that Adidas will not pay their workers unless universities take a firm stand, and that will not happen without your support. Join us in pressuring Ward to do the right thing and get Adidas to pay up.
In Solidarity,
Lingran Kong
Student Labor Action Coalition, University of Wisconsin USAS affiliate
P.S.
Here’s a phone script:
Hi, my name is [your name] and I’m calling from [name of school/organization], and I want to leave a message for Chancellor Ward to let him know that I’ll be closely following the University’s actions coming out of mediation. It’s clear Adidas has violated the University’s contract and that the only acceptable outcome of mediation is if Adidas agrees to fully pay the $1.8 million owed to its former workers in Indonesia. Thank you very much.
