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NEWSLETTER 14, JULY 2001 In Solidarity with garment workers around the world Nike and Reebok in Mexico

Kuk Dong is a factory in Puebla, Mexico that produces for Nike and Reebok (among others). The clothes produced at this facility are sold in their outlets as well as on university campuses throughout the United States. Kuk Dong has been the site of a struggle for freedom of association since Jan. 9, 2001 when the majority of the workers in the factory went out on strike in support of five workers who were fired for leading a campaign to organize an independent union.

Days later, as the workers occupied the factory grounds, 200 riot police raided the strike. Several workers were severely beaten, and 15 were sent to the hospital. Two days later, an agreement was reached to allow the strikers to return to work without reprisals, but shortly after, hundreds of the returning workers were either fired or forced to resign. On March 18, the independent union supporters at Kuk Dong met the legal requirements for recognition -- this group now calls itself SITEKKIM. Despite management's promises to reinstate union supporters, Santiago Perez, one of the five leaders fired for opposing the CROC (company-dominated union), continues to be denied access to his job at the factory. Nike must make a commitment to free and fair elections at Kuk Dong that will include a secret ballot process. Nike also must pressure the local government in Puebla to accept the registro (union registration) filed by the independent union, SITEKIM. Meanwhile, the independent union continues to be under attack. CROC has been offering money to workers to resign from SITEKIM. In May a SITEKIM leader was beaten by CROC supporters. The security chief and head of human resources appear to be involved in this violence and harassment of Kuk Dong workers.

The CCC has been working on this case since mid-January 2001, and has been pressuring the Korean-based Kuk Dong International via their European clients (the French-based Naf Naf and Pierre Cardin) to improve labor conditions at their Mexican facility. For more information on this case, including reports made on visits to the facility and actions you can take to support Kuk Dong workers, see the CCC website or the United Students Against Sweatshops site <http://www.usasnet.org>.

More on the Kuk-Dong struggle can be found on our Nike page