After months of pressure from several colleges, including Syracuse University, Adidas agreed to compensate wrongfully fired sweatshop workers from the PT Kizone factory in Indonesia.

On March 1, SU Auxiliary Services officials sent a letter to the athletic-wear company warning them about their inaction toward more than 2,500 factory workers. These employees were left without $3.3 million in severance pay after the owner fled in 2011, according to the Worker Rights Consortium’s website.  

“It is the conclusion of Syracuse University that Adidas, by failing to remedy these violations, is in possible breach of its licensing agreement with the University,” said SU Associate Director of Auxiliary Services Jamie Cyr and Associate Director of Athletics and Director of Marketing Marc Donabella, in the letter.

Cyr was pleased Adidas reconsidered its initial stance on the issue and finally paid displaced workers their legally mandated severance wages, he said in an email.

When SU sent the letter in March, it gave Adidas 90-day period for the company to reply before the university would consider drastic measures, such as terminating the licensing agreement with the school. Adidas announced on April 24 that it would pay a substantial sum to the factory workers, according to an April 24 United Students Against Sweatshops press release.

Jose Godinez, the president of the United Students Against Sweatshops branch at SU, re-introduced the organization to campus in February. This campaign against Adidas was his first goal as president.

He organized a protest on March 27, delivering a speech in Chancellor Nancy Cantor’s office asking that the university cut ties with Adidas immediately.

“I think SU played an important role because had the university dropped their contract with Adidas, being a big sports school, they had some kind of leverage with the company,” he said.

While he commended SU for supporting USAS’s goals, Godinez said he felt the school could have taken stronger measures sooner, rather than issuing a warning.

He said he believes that SU helped the cause by joining a collective effort with other universities that had dropped their contracts entirely, such as Cornell and Georgetown universities – ultimately pressuring Adidas into settling.

Jamie Cyr, auxiliary services associate director, credited several constituencies, including universities, with pressuring Adidas to settle.

Said Cyr: “The pressure being applied to Adidas by universities, including Syracuse University, certainly played a significant role in Adidas willingness to settle.”

Published on May 22, 2013 at 12:56 pm

Contact Alfred: alng@syr.edu

@alfredwkng