Readers respond: Nike should listen to workers

Nike’s PR team needs a refund on their communications degrees. You don’t get to claim you’re paying living wages on the world stage, then ignore the very workers calling that bluff, (“

Indonesian factory workers visit Nike’s Portland store to raise awareness of wages, conditions,

” May 28).

Three Indonesian factory workers

flew across the world

to Portland – Nike’s home turf – hoping for a seat at the table. Not a confrontation. Not a protest. A conversation.

Nike insists most of its factory workers make 1.9 times the minimum wage. These workers say that’s laughable, since they still earn less in a month what it costs to buy a single pair of Air Jordans. But hey, priorities: profit over people. Every. Single. Time.

If Nike wants to keep pretending it’s a global leader in corporate responsibility, maybe it should start by listening to the people who make their shoes. The company’s response didn’t just miss the PR mark – it tore it up and dunked on it.

Either Nike is committed to transparency and fairness, or it’s just really good at taglines.