Nike helps Honduran workers

Nike announced Monday that the company will pay $1.5 million into a relief fund for garment factory workers in Honduras that were laid off after factories closed.

Nike will also work with its Honduran suppliers to offer vocational training to the displaced workers.

"This is a new era," said Angelina Godoy, a University of Washington professor and expert on Central American labor issues. "It's an enormously important precedent because it's Nike and Nike is so influential in the industry as a whole."

Nike spokeswoman Kate Meyers said the company is well aware of the symbolic importance of its actions in Honduras. "We're certainly conscious as the largest sporting brand that making a statement like this is significant," Meyers said. But she also pointed out that Nike is not making good on the unpaid worker severance payments that should have been the obligation of subcontractors. Rather, it's making a donation to a relief fund.

Read more at OregonLive.com.

{biztweet}Nike Honduras{/biztweet}