I think Reebok is almost worse. They give out money to human rights organizations and provide monetary awards while they maintain factories that virtually sweatshops:

http://www.nosweat.org.uk/article.php?sid=75

An sad argument:


Workers at Reebok factories in western Java receive minimum wage, which is less than $2 a day.

Footwear factory owners argue that laborers receive benefits including allowances for transport and health care. Some factories also pay school fees for their workers’ children.

Recent increases in minimum wage levels have put the Indonesian footwear industry on the brink of collapse. Factory owners point out that if salaries are increased further, companies would leave Indonesia and move to countries with lower labor costs, such as China and Vietnam.

Such a scenario would worsen Indonesia’s unemployment problem.





>Tracy;
>
>I like New Balance (which I wear) but even they are not perfect.
>
>We have sweatshops all over the place. I know of several and one made equipment for professional football teams near San Diego. The others were in San Francisco. This was true about 15 years ago and might have changed. The company was cited by the state for not paying minimum wage. So the owner increased each employee’s paycheck to meet the minimum wage. The state was now happy! All is well so said the state!
>
>To go along with your new wage increase mandated by the state and to keep your job, you would pay the owner a specific amount in cash as you left work on Friday. The owner was worth millions of dollars.
>
>The ladies who did the work brought their babies in baskets and they were placed on the floor near the mother. The amount of dust flying and suspended in the air was so thick you could not see across the room. Each worker was a few feet from the other separated by a sewing machine and small workspace, which consisted of a typical sewing cabinet like you, might have at home. Cabinets were touching one after the other with aisles between them to form rows. I only saw the first two rows nearest the door. I saw this with my own eyes and was politely asked to leave.
>
>Tom
>
>
>>I think all Nike products should be boycotted due to their unfair labor practices alone...
>>
>>>Do you purchase Nike products? They are the worst at off shore manufacturing. Cost per unit including shipping to the US, 2->10$
>>>
>>>__Stephen
>>>
>>>>Now if those countries that pick up the work in another country because they can do it cheaper would at a minimum be forced to provide the same work conditions and safety standards it would be easier to swallow...
>>>>
>>>>>Hi Jos,
>>>>>You messege remind me econmic lectures in University.
>>>>>Yes you are perfectly right that industry which require low paid labor force are moving to countries, which are able to supply it.
>>>>>Transport connections become cheaper and it become easy to supply more productive regions with higher life style with cheaper goods.
>>>>>Cheaper is not equal to low quality as some try to state in this tread.
>>>>>I suppose that in the feature regiaons, which have low cost living expences will produce clothes and regions with higher cost expences will produce software. Of cource there will be exceptions.
>>>>>I belive that globalization will become bigger and bigger. May be some people don't like it, but this is reality.
>>>>>
>>>>>Outsourcing is American management invention, where firm save expences outsourcing some jobs to more productive firm outside company.
>>>>>In most of the cases firm from developed countries look for outsourcing opportunities. If there are demand of cource will appeare supply :-).