The sportswear apparel company Adidas announced plans to compensate over 2,700 Indonesian workers who had not received their severance pay after a factory where they were employed by the company closed over two years ago, according a press release Wednesday from the Brown Take Adidas Down Coalition.
Adidas’ agreement to compensate the workers comes after a national campaign by student activists to pressure the company — which is under contract with the University for providing athletic apparel — to deliver the delayed severance pay.
Seventeen universities across the country agreed to either cut their contracts with Adidas completely or not to renew their contracts in response to student outcry over the workers’ lack of compensation. The University had previously announced it would not renew its contract, which is not as strong as immediately cancelling the contract but is still significant, said Stoni Tomson ’15, a member of the Brown Take Adidas Down coalition.
The campaign, known as “Badidas,” created the largest collegiate boycott of one of the top three sportswear companies in history, according to the press release.
Tomson said she was “overjoyed, proud of this victory by students and workers and also prepared for what’s next” because universities still need to make progress to “make sure university apparel is made in factories that respect workers’ rights.”
The Student Labor Alliance, which helped coordinate the campaign, plans on strengthening the University’s Vendor Code of Conduct to ensure that the companies with which Brown does business are held accountable for the treatment of their workers, said SLA member Mariela Martinez ’14 in the press release.
Martinez told The Herald that Adidas’ decision is a “big, historic victory” for the campaign and that being part of the effort to pressure the company to fairly compensate its workers “has been such an honor.”
“This victory is only a small stepping stone in ensuring that global garment brands create safe working environments for their workers,” said SLA member Liz Linfield ’16.
The University had planned on sending Adidas a public letter warning that Brown would begin looking for a new vendor unless the company compensated the workers within 60 days, said President Christina Paxson. If Adidas abides by its announcement to fairly compensate its workers, the University will consider renewing its contract with the company, with this decision based on other factors such as how students like the quality of clothing, Paxson said.
ADVERTISEMENT
