NYU reviews Nike sales

The University of Wisconsin canceled its licensing agreement with Nike Inc. on Friday, citing concerns about the company's treatment of workers in Honduras.

Today, NYU will begin reviewing the matter to determine whether it will follow suit.

"This sounds like it bears looking into," university spokesman John Beckman said.

Wisconsin's decision, which made it the first university to cut ties with Nike over the issue, came after Nike closed two of its factories in Honduras in January 2009 without notice. The school's chancellor, Biddy Martin, said that Nike has not done enough to help those who worked there collect their severance payment.

According to Jim Keady, the founder and captain of Team Sweat, an international coalition that focuses on Nike's labor practices, 17,000 workers in Honduras were denied roughly $2.5 million in severance pay. Although the situation deals with the decisions of local subcontractors in Honduras, Nike has said it maintains a moral relationship — not just a legal partnership — with those subcontractors.

"You've got to live up to that," Keady said. "At the moment they're not doing that."

Keady and other activists in Team Sweat gathered in front of the midtown Nike store yesterday to protest the alleged labor abuse.

"The situation is just really messed up," said Zachary Lerner, a junior at Rutgers University who got involved with Team Sweat after meeting Nike factory workers from Honduras.

Here at NYU, Nike products are sold at Palladium's Sweat-n-Shop. However, some students are wondering how long that will last.

"I think NYU should, and I suspect they will very soon, begin to investigate the situation," said Whitney Petrie, the chair of the Student Senators Council.

In February 2009, NYU terminated its licensing agreement with Russell Athletic after allegations were made that the company closed a production plant in Honduras in response to workers' unionization.

"If this problem goes unresolved, the outcome may very well end similarly with Nike," Petrie said.