Nike Ceo Faces California Protesters

Fri., May 2, 1997

Compiled From Wire Services

Nike CEO Philip Knight denies charges from protesters that his athletic shoe and clothing company exploits workers in southeast Asia.

“We turn away more prospective employees than we could hire,” he said. “It sounds like a low wage and it is. But it’s a wage that’s greater than what they used to make.”

He also said that the low wages don’t mean higher profits for Nike.

Knight, who spoke at Stanford Business School on Wednesday, and his company have met with protests in Northern California, including during the recent opening of a Nike Town store in San Francisco.

Knight’s visit to Stanford was no exception.

About 60 students and community activists picketed Knight’s speech, demanding that Nike, based in Beaverton, Ore., raise wages in its factories in Indonesia, Vietnam and China.

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Nike Ceo Faces California Protesters

Jesse Tinsley

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Rob Curley

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