Nike Workers Attacked in Mexico

Date: 18 January 2001

Striking workers, who produce apparel, including university sweatshirts, for Nike, at the Kukdong factory in Atlixco, Mexico - were violently attacked the evening of Thursday, January 11 by a group of "construction workers" who were later identified as FROC-CROC "enforcers". FROC-CROC is the government-backed union currently in the Kukdong factory.

Half of the striking workers had gone home to get some sleep and bathe after spending 3 days and 2 nights on guard at the factory gates, a group of "construction workers" entered the company grounds pushing their way through the strikers and attempting to provoke a confrontation.

The strikers responded by not reacting to the provocation. Soon after this, the 300 workers who had remained at the plant were surrounded by 200 riot gear-equipped "Granaderos" (Puebla State Police).

The top police official told the strikers that they had been ordered by the Governor to remove the strikers from the area. However, the person who seemed to be directing the operation was the "leader" of the FROC-CROC union, Rene Sanchez Juarez, who pointed out the strike leaders and asked them - "Are you frightened yet?" As the police began pushing the workers into a smaller and smaller area, the workers sat down, raised their arms to show they were not resisting and were unarmed, and began singing the Mexican national anthem.

The police then proceeded to open a small space between their ranks, and began pulling the workers out, pushing them with their batons forming a sort of gauntlet. Several of the workers were beaten severely by the police with their clubs. Fifteen workers were taken to the hospital. The strikers, after passing the "gauntlet," were pursued by the police until they were completely out of the area in which the factory is located.

Following the violence, on Saturday, January 13, the leaders of the independent union, the Kukdong Workers' Coalition, signed an agreement with Kukdong management and the local labor board in Atlixco, Mexico saying that they would return to work. The company committed to permit all striking workers to return to the factory except for the workers who had been illegally fired last Tuesday, January 9.

Furthermore, the Koukdong management pledged to copy and distribute copies of the agreement to all 860 workers at the plant. By signing this agreement, the workers were NOT dropping their demands. They had decided, for economic reasons, to return to work and continue the struggle from inside the walls of the factory.

However, as of this morning, Wednesday, January 17, management has backpedaled and workers who were very active in the strike are having those copies of the agreement taken from them by the Kukdong security guards, and are being told they are fired. This is a violation of Mexican labor law, university codes of conduct, and Nike's code of conduct.

The workers are demanding the following:
**Immediately reinstate all of the workers illegally fired last week for organizing inside of the factory.
**Stop the illegal firings happening en masse at this moment against workers who participated in the protest, and ensure that no reprisals are taken against anyone who participated in the strike.
**Drop the bogus charges filed against at least 6 workers and their supporters.
**Recognize the Kukdong Workers' Coalition as the legitimate, democratic, and independent representative of the workers at Kukdong and agree to deal with them as such.
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NIKE'S REACTION TO LABOR ABUSES
According to Nike's Code of Conduct, all of plants producing for Nike must respect freedom of association, the most important of all worker rights.
Yet...
Nike has not intervened in any illegal firings nor requested the reinstatement of those fired last week before the strike. They have stood by
while Kukdong has taken out arrest warrants on bogus charges against at least 6 people who were active in the strike.

Nike has not put pressure on Kukdong to recognize the only democratic representative of the workers, the Kukdong Workers' Coalition, and to end the protection contract that Kukdong management signed behind closed doors without any worker involvement.

Nike claims to know nothing about the low wages, terrible health and safety violations, child labor, and other violations at the factory despite the fact that it is one of the most heavily "independently" monitored factories in Mexico.
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BACKGROUND ON THE KUKDONG STRUGGLE
On Tuesday, January 9, 2001 at 8:00 am, over 850 workers making college apparel for Nike staged a work stoppage, took over the factory, and began
controlling the gates at the Kukdong International Mexico factory in the small city of Atlixco, Puebla in southern Mexico. Kukdong is a Korean-owned factory that makes sweatshirts for the Universities of North Carolina, Maryland, Michigan, Arizona, Penn State, Georgetown, Michigan State and Oregon, amongst others.

The immediate cause of the strike was the firing of 5 workers who had led rank-and-file protest about rotten food in the cafeteria, low wages ($30 for a 45-hour week), and the failure of the company to pay the Christmas bonus in accordance with Mexican labor law. Between 20-30 others had recently been forced by the company to sign voluntary resignation forms. The five fired workers are: Marco Santiago Perez Mesa, Marcela Muņoz Tepepa, Josefin Hernandez Ponce, Mario Nicanor Sefina, and Eduardo Sanchez Velasquez. Four were supervisors, and one was recently named "employee of the month."
[Look at http://www.behindthelabel.org today to find videos, photographs and other testimony taken from Kukdong workers this past weekend.]

In independent interviews with members of United Students Against Sweatshops, workers also report physical and verbal abuse, the unwillingness of the company to pay maternity benefits, failure by the company to pay extra wages for overtime hours, attempts by the company to impose forced
overtime, and serious safety and health violations. The company does not provide protective gear uniformly, or mandate its use, and many workers report cases of throat, nose and lung irritation as well as conjunctivitis.

The company provided food frequently leads to diarrhea, and a few workers report being hospitalized due to infections caused by the food. According to all workers, the food often is raw, rancid, or has worms.
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ACTION REQUEST
Please copy, sign and send the following letter to Nike. Phil Knight, CEO and Chairman of Nike, Fax: (503) 671- 6300, Vada Manager, public relations representative for Nike on labor issues
mailto:vada.manager@nike.com or 800-642-8170
*You can also go to http://www.a16.org/usas/ to send letters online.*

Dear Mr. Knight,

I am writing to urge you to support the demands of the Kuk Dong workers in Atlixco, Puebla, Mexico. The demands are:
1) to stop all punitive measures against workers taking part in demonstrations;
2) to reinstate all illegally fired workers;
3) and to recognize the Kuk Dong Workers Coalition, the independent union chosen by the workers.

According to Nike's Code of Conduct, the factory's actions and failure to recognize the autonomous workers' are in violation of Nike's code of conduct in addition to university codes of conduct and Mexican labor law.

Furthermore, I am outraged at the use of force against workers during recent demonstrations. Workers must have the right to organize and to make their demands public without threats from riot police and corrupt union thugs. I expect you to meet these workers' demands and NOT to cut and run.

Sincerely,

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For further information

Contact:	Tim Connor
Union:	Labor Council of NSW
Phone:	: 61 2 9698 2394
Contact Mobile:	0403 339 578
Fax:	61 2 9280 3426
Email:	tconnor@pop.nlc.net.au
WWW:	- http://www.caa.org.au/campaigns/nike/

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