She carries a torch for the world’s working poor

Salt shakers
February 2002

She carries a torch for the world’s working poor
On December 22nd, the Olympic torch was about two hours late in arriving for its planned relay in Philadelphia, but when it arrived Leslie Kretzu took hold and ran two-tenths of a mile along the city’s south side streets. It was 35 degrees, and she just happened to be barefoot.

Barefoot on a city street? Perhaps a “do not attempt this at home” caution is necessary here, but in the case of Leslie Kretzu, the message she was sending was much more important than any level of discomfort she may have felt.

In fact, her discomfort was exactly the point. As the 27-year old Catholic explains, “My short period of suffering running barefoot in winter weather was symbolic of the suffering that millions of workers face in producing the athletic apparel and equipment that our athletes will wear and use in these Olympic Games.”

Kretzu is founder and co-director of the not-for-profit group Educating for Justice, and she makes no secret of her opposition to the labor practices of companies that she says do not pay a living wage to its factory workers, among them the Nike corporation.

"What else would those people be doing?"
I have been asked this question so many times. It has almost become the litmus test for whether or not what we are doing here has any meaning. I know that there are a few people who ask the question with genuine concern for the workers. . . . .Then there are the majority of people that ask the question, "What else would those people be doing?" These are the people who want to feel OK about actively or passively contributing to the horror that is the workers' daily reality. They ask the question meaning, "Hey, those people are desperate, they should be happy they have those jobs. If they weren't doing this they would be starving, so they should feel lucky that they are making the little they are making from Nike. . . . " To these people, if the question "What else would those people be doing?" is not answered, it justifies the exploitation in some warped way.

To be very honest, I do not know what the workers would be doing if they weren't working for Nike. . . . But I do know what would not happen to them.

They would not be working 10-15 hour days and not making enough to eat. They would not be screamed at and humiliated when they weren't meeting their production quota.

They would not be forced to work overtime. They would not be threatened verbally or physically for trying to form unions. . . . They would not have their water supply polluted by factory waste. They would not have their once fertile farmland covered by factories.

They would not be at the mercy of American companies that worked hand and hand with one of the most brutal military dictatorships in history.

They would not have their economy dominated by foreigners that want to exploit their current situation and keep them oppressed for financial gain. They would not be reduced to cogs in the machine that feeds American greed and consumption.

They would not be making American athletes and coaches rich from their sweat. They would not be helping to maximize American shareholder's profits. They would not have their hope taken away. They would not be dehumanized.

What else would they be doing?

Once again, I'm not sure. Do I have to be? Most likely they would be poor and desperate, much like their reality now. They give so much to us in America. They give their hearts, their lives, their sweat, so we can be rich, in-style, comfortable, better athletes… They give us all of these things. But it isn't enough, we want more, we want to exploit them AND not feel guilty about it. So we smugly ask the question "If you weren't working this hard to serve our selfish wants what else would you poor, dirty, uneducated Indonesians be doing?" In asking this question we take from them the one thing they have left, their dignity.

I hope this answers your question.—Jim Keady

Since Nike is a sponsor of the Salt Lake City 2002 Winter Games and outfitter of both women's and men's U.S. Olympic ice hockey teams as well as the U.S. speed-skating team, Kretzu said she was shocked to find out she was chosen as an Olympic torchbearer. “In fact, when I got the letter,” she says, “I almost threw it away because I thought it was just one of those ‘You’ve won a million dollars’ junk mailings.” But the letter was bona fide and she decided that she must accept the honor while simultaneously expressing her concern for the workers who produce Olympic apparel.

Corporate sponsors Chevrolet and Coca-Cola were given the privilege of choosing a portion of the torchbearers, soliciting nominations from consumers and employees. Chevrolet asked that nominations be made with an essay describing how the person inspires others, so Kretzu’s sister Carolyn submitted an essay detailing her sister’s stand for worker justice, including a month-long trip to Indonesia to live in solidarity with Nike factory workers there.

In 2000, Kretzu and Educating for Justice co-director Jim Keady wanted first-hand knowledge of the experience of Nike factory employees overseas. After Nike rejected Keady’s offer to work in one of the factories, they decided upon this unique immersion experience. While in Indonesia, Kretzu and Keady lived off the average worker’s salary, $1.25 per day, and posted daily journals and photos on their website. They followed that experience with a 3-week press conference tour coinciding with the Sydney Olympics, when they had a chance to contrast the living conditions of Nike factory workers to that of Nike sponsored athletes like Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods, and Mia Hamm. They described open sewers running along the sides of dirt streets, whole families living in eight-by-eight foot cement shacks, and up to 15 hour work days, six or seven days a week. (For in-depth coverage, see <nikewages.org>.)

Prior to the project in Indonesia, Kretzu was a volunteer with the Missionaries of Charity in India and Nepal, and also served a one year commitment with the Jesuit Volunteer Corps. She is currently pursuing graduate studies in feminist ethics at Union Theological Seminary in New York.

In total, over 200,000 torchbearer nominations were received nationwide. 11,500 made the final cut and actually carried the torch from Atlanta to Salt Lake City.

Because of the two hour delay on December 22nd, news crews at the rally point were looking to kill some time, and Kretzu seized the opportunity for a short interview on NBC News. She said the news reporter was a little taken aback by her choice to send a message with the torch, but ended his interview with, “Well, I’m glad it’s a free country where people can do things like this if they want to.”

The Salt Lake Organizing Committee was not so indulgent. Spokeswoman Caroline Shaw is quoted in Salt Lake City’s Deseret News saying, “It is certainly inappropriate for people to use the Olympic torch relay as their microphone.”

But Kretzu disagrees, “It would be hypocritical of me to ignore today the concerns of the people I work hard for every other day of the year.”

She added, "The Olympic charter calls for 'encouraging the establishment of a peaceful society concerned with the preservation of human dignity.' The International Olympic Committee (IOC) and Olympians need to be aware that sponsors like Nike blatantly violate this charter and undermine the very ideals upon which the Olympic Games were founded. It is time that the IOC and Olympic athletes actively pressure multinational sponsors to live up to this Olympic ideal."—Tara Dix

For more information:
Educating for Justice
Sweatshop Watch
Nike's Corporate Responsibility Report

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