Honduras: Anti-Sweatshop Campaign Hits Nike http://weeklynewsupdate.blogspot.com/

On Apr. 9 Biddy Martin, the chancellor of the University of Wisconsin (UW) in Madison, announced that the institution was cancelling its sports apparel contract with Oregon-based Nike, Inc because of the company’s failure to provide legally mandated back pay and severance packages worth some $2.1 million to more than 1,600 workers for two Nike contractors in Honduras.

This was the first victory in a campaign started by students at various North American campuses last fall around the closing of two plants, Vision Tex and Hugger de Honduras, in January 2009 [see Update #1016]. UW made some $49,000 in 2008 and 2009 for allowing Nike to use the university logo on its clothing and products.