As violence escalated in Jakarta, Nike and adidas "laid
plans" last week to evacuate family members of employees
stationed in Indonesia, according to Jeff Manning of the
Portland OREGONIAN. Nike officials said the company is
moving the families of 50 expatriate employees out of the
country, while adidas will fly out between 25-30 of its
staffers' family members. As of Thursday, neither company
had yet to evacuate anyone. adidas Exec VP Glenn Bennett:
"The question is, when and how. It's a dicey thing." Nike
spokesperson Vizhier Mooney said the company has been in
touch with the family members "on an hourly basis." Manning
reported that the sweeping unrest in Indonesia "poses a
logistical nightmare" for both companies, as Nike gets more
than 30% of its footwear from its Indonesian factories,
while adidas gets about 25% (Portland OREGONIAN, 5/15).
MORE ON REFORM: Reaction to reforms Nike announced last
week regarding its labor policies overseas continued to draw
reaction over the weekend. A BOSTON GLOBE editorial said
the announcement is a victory "not just for human rights and
labor organizers but also for the power of political
satire." Doonesbury's Garry Trudeau and filmmaker Michael
Moore "made consumers see Nike's ubiquitous swoosh logo as
more of a slave driver's lash. The 'Just do it' company was
forced to admit: Just blew it" (BOSTON GLOBE, 5/17). A
MIAMI HERALD editorial says to "give Nike credit," but "give
credit, also, to human-rights advocates for their campaign
to publicize the perilous, sometimes-abusive conditions in
Nike factories" (MIAMI HERALD, 5/18). A N.Y. TIMES
editorial states that the reforms should "set a standard
other companies should match. ... Nike has come under
criticism because unlike some other manufacturers it has
claimed to treat its workers better. Independent monitoring
is the only way to keep good policies from getting lost on
their way to the factory" (N.Y. TIMES, 5/18). A DALLAS
MORNING NEWS editorial says that Nike "is under no legal
obligation to implement the changes," but that "it's good to
be progressive" (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 5/18).
NIKE NOTES: In N.Y., Sally Beatty reports on a new
academic study on the effectiveness of logos, by WA State
Univ. professors Pamela Henderson and Joseph Cote, who
showed 195 logos to 560 college students, asking that each
be rated for memorability and attractiveness. Nike's logo
"works," and because of its "slanted shape, it looks as if
it's moving, and so it registers to the eye as much more
complex" (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 5/18)....Also in N.Y.,
Johnson & MacIntosh report that Nike asked shoe manufacturer
Candie's Inc. to "cease and desist" its "Just Screw It" ads
featuring Jenny McCarthy (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 5/18).
