Still waiting for Nike to do it : Nike's labor practices in the three years since CEO Phil Knight's speech to the National Press Club

On May 12, 1998, Nike's CEO and founder Mr. Phillip Knight spoke at the National Press Club in Washington, DC and made what were, in his words, "some fairly significant announcements" regarding Nike's policies on working conditions in its supplier factories. The announcements received favorable treatment from the press, with a New York Times editorial suggesting that Nike's new reforms "set a standard that other companies should match." Nike's critics were more cautious, expressing concern that Knight's promises represented an attempt to sideline their demands for decent wages and rigorous factory monitoring and replace them with a significantly weaker reform agenda. This report represents a comprehensive examination of Nike's labor performance in the three years since that speech was made. That performance is first assessed against the commitments Knight announced and is then compared with the human rights standards and independent monitoring practices labor rights organizations have demanded of the company.