Labor Alerts: a service of Campaign for Labor Rights

January 28, 1998

NIKE CAMPAIGN STRATEGY, PART 2:

Hands Across Borders

In our first strategy paper, we said that we would have some surprises in this second paper. Well, we do...but not the surprises we expected to announce! An exciting opportunity has convinced us to reframe the April 18 International Nike Mobilization in the United States. Activists in other countries might also want to consider reframing your plans for April 18, adapting the general lines suggested below to the situation in your region.

BACKGROUND:

In November, 400 union activists and labor rights advocates from throughout the Americas (and some from Europe and Asia) met in San Francisco, California for the Western Hemisphere Workers' Conference against NAFTA and Privatization. One of the most important decisions to come out of the conference was a plan to organize a Western Hemisphere Action against Free Trade on Saturday, April 18 to challenge the "free trade" corporate agenda of our governments.

On April 18, the Western Hemisphere heads of state will meet in Santiago, Chile, to launch their plans for expanding NAFTA to the rest of the region, in the form of the Free Trade Area of the Americas. While governments and elites are shaking hands across expensive, polished tables, people from all walks of life will join hands across borders in human chains of solidarity, from the Arctic Circle to Tierra del Fuego. Local coalitions throughout the Americas will be planning activities in their own communities.

In fact, there will be local activities during a four-day period: April 15-18. Local coalitions are encouraged to hold press conferences and teach-ins on the free trade corporate agenda, the globalization of sweatshops and the importance of cross-border solidarity.

RESOLVING A CONFLICT:

April 18 also was the date set for the second International Nike Mobilization. When Campaign for Labor Rights learned about the plans for the Western Hemisphere Action, we offered to change the date of the Nike event, to avoid a conflict.

As another option, we offered to merge both events on the same date. The coalition planning the U.S. portion of the Western Hemisphere Action enthusiastically welcomed our offer to join forces and to make Nike the major corporate focus of protest on April 18.

WHY NIKE?

We know that the free trade agenda is in reality a sweatshop agenda. Although the April 18 action was planned on a hemispheric scale, it arises from a global vision. Workers in every country are facing a global problem and they are coming to realize that this problem has to be confronted globally. More than any other corporation, Nike epitomizes the global sweatshop.

MAKING THE LINKS:

On April 18, local organizers for the U.S. portion of the Western Hemisphere Action are urged to include activities at Nike outlets in their day's events. Whether in border cities or other localities far from international borders, local organizers will use the symbol of the human chain as a centerpiece of activity. Depending on local circumstances, participants might make a human chain stretching from a Nike outlet to some other significant site: a government building, a financial institution or some other structure representing the global corporate agenda. If physical distance does not permit a link between real buildings, human chains could link large plywood or cardboard cut-outs in a dramatic symbolic tableau in front of a Nike outlet. There is a lot of creativity out there. PLEASE send us the ideas you come up with so we can share them with other local activists!
On the West Coast of the U.S., during the week leading up to April 18, there will be a caravan, starting at the Canadian border and ending at the Mexican border. At each stop, the caravan will collect old Nike shoes. When the caravan reaches the Mexican border, there will be a symbolic ceremony to dispose of the shoes. Activists in other sections of the country might consider organizing similar North-South caravans.

OTHER COUNTRIES:

Obviously, the concept for April 18 is not limited to the Western Hemisphere. The fact that this is billed as a Western Hemisphere event reflects limited resources, not disinterest in a global perspective. Since the International Nike Mobilization already is global in concept, we would welcome Nike activists on all continents putting their April 18 demonstrations in the context of challenging the global corporate agenda. Human chains across borders and symbolic human chains in cities everywhere would be a powerful image to convey what our global anti-sweatshop, workers' rights movement is all about. Although resistance to the proposed Free Trade Area of the Americas is the specific impetus for the April 18 actions in the Western Hemisphere, there are other proposed free trade treaties affecting every portion of the planet.

NGOs in Canada, Europe, Australia, New Zealand and Asia: Please let us know whether you think that framing the April 18 International Nike Mobilization events in your country in the context of opposing the global "free trade" agenda would be useful for your organizing.

IT'S YOUR CHOICE:

We understand that some local activists who are planning on organizing Nike demonstrations for April 18 might not wish to frame those activities in the context of opposing the global corporate agenda. You could choose to concentrate entirely on Nike. Campaign for Labor Rights and the organizers of the Western Hemisphere Action Day do not want to impose this larger agenda on anyone. We are simply offering this joint action as a wonderful opportunity to talk about the larger issues while specifically pressuring Nike to clean up its act.

COMING UP:

Future Nike campaign strategy papers (to follow at shorter intervals than these first two papers) will deal with Nike campus issues, Foot Locker as the prime outlet for Nike and linking up with an important anti-sweatshop campaign in Canada. We also will be posting informational material on free trade issues and we will be producing a special action packet.

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