Nike Workers Rights Violations

For as long as American companies have been moving factories to other countries, we have all heard stories of violations of worker’s rights. The case of Nike and its former Honduran workers is just one example of this growing problem. In 2009, two factories that made shirts for Nike closed their doors, causing 1,800 workers to lose their jobs. To make matters worse, the companies that ran the two factories, Hugger and Vision Tex, refused to pay those workers the severance and compensation they were due according to Honduran law. At first, Nike sympathized with the workers who lost their jobs, but after public backlash from university students in the US, Nike succumbed to public pressure and agreed to pay the workers what they were owed.
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However, I think that it is irrelevant in this case. What does matter in this case is perception, and the perception born out of this debacle was that Nike violates worker’s rights. Once that perception takes hold with the public, the only good option is to placate the masses and give in to their demands. As I stated above, bad press can ruin a company’s reputation and could even have the potential to ruin the company. By giving in to the demands of the protestors, Nike was able to save their reputation by proving that they do not support violations of worker’s rights.
I personally believe that there is merit in students protesting and being activists. By being vocal and protesting, students are able to change their world in ways that weren’t possible for past generations. With the rise of social media, a cause can spread around the globe like wildfire. No longer content with, “that’s just the way it is,” young people of this generation are standing up and saying, “No more.” Using social media, young people have adopted a tactic of “calling out” bad behavior, and are able to drum up worldwide support for whatever cause they are