Day Five Of The Worker Action Tour | Workers Activists File Complaint with Oregon Labor Commissioner
After being denied a meeting with Nike, three Indonesian worker activists—Dedeh, Dinar, and Leni—found an audience with the Oregon Labor Commissioner Christina Stephenson. The Commissioner kept her office open after-hours to hear firsthand testimony and accept their formal complaint about unpaid wages during the pandemic. “This is part of my struggle to get our rights,” said Leni. “We come here so you can see us—while in our hometown, you never see us.”
In their testimony, the workers described wages as low as $190 a month, grueling production targets that don't leave workers with enough time to access the restroom, and a sexual harassment complaint that took over a year to resolve. They emphasized how Nike’s code of conduct promises dignity and safety—but the reality inside its supplier factories tells a different story. The worker activists also spoke about how the cost of a single pair of Air Jordans often exceeds their monthly pay.
Though Nike did not respond to requests for comment, the workers’ message was loud and clear. As Commissioner Stephenson concluded the meeting, she acknowledged their courage and promised action: “We see you. We appreciate the courage it takes to come here. We’ll take your complaints, and we’ll do what we can.” The labor bureau will now issue a notice of the complaint to Nike and offer the brand a chance to respond.
Stay tuned for more updates and read: Day Four Of The Worker Action Tour | Rename Hayward Field To ‘Hidup Buruh’
Day Four Of The Worker Action Tour | Rename Hayward Field To ‘Hidup Buruh’
May 29, 2025
As athletes competed in the OSAA State Track & Field Championships inside Hayward Field, a powerful act of protest unfolded just outside. Three Indonesian garment workers—Dedeh, Dinar, and Leni—joined by allies, demanded that the Nike-funded stadium be renamed to “Hidup Buruh” - meaning: “Long Live the Workers!” The symbolic action highlighted a jarring truth: while Nike co-founder Phil Knight funneled over $270 million into the stadium’s renovation during the pandemic, garment workers making Nike products saw their wages slashed.
Leni Oktira Sari, a worker activist and Nike garment worker, says, “Rename Hayward Field. Rename it after us, the people who really made its renovation happen. In Indonesia, we are taking risks and fighting hard. When we are in the streets rallying and protesting injustice from brands like Nike, we have a unifying chant—‘Hidup Buruh!’ It means ‘long live the workers,’ and it lifts us up, the workers who make the world’s clothing, the workers behind Nike and other iconic fashion brands.” The chant echoed through the campus as worker activists and allies affirmed that the wealth behind the track was built on exploitation.
“We came to see the stadium that Nike built from the money from our wages that were cut during the pandemic,” - Leni.
“We’re here because the labor of the workers of Indonesia and Southeast Asia is actually what creates the profit to pay for Hayward Field and its renovations,” said Gonzalo Bustamante Moya, Vice President of Political Education for the Graduate Teaching Fellows Federation at the University of Oregon. “Long live the workers is not only a way for us to honor the actual labor that created the profits that paid for the stadium, but also to show that workers are indispensable for all the living that we take for granted... it is actually the labor of living people that deserve living wages and dignity that makes this world run.” Today's action made one thing clear: the fight for wage justice doesn’t stop at factory gates—it follows the money, all the way to the stadiums built on stolen wages.
Stay tuned for more updates and read: Day Three Of The Worker Action Tour | Garment Workers Bring The Fight To Nike’s Headquarters
Day Three Of The Worker Action Tour | Garment Workers Bring The Fight To Nike's Headquarters
May 28, 2025
On Wednesday morning, Indonesian garment worker activists Dedeh, Dinar, and Leni—joined by allies, including the Portland Association of Teachers—rallied at Nike’s global headquarters in Beaverton. They had come 7,000 miles to confront the brand that profits off their labor but refuses to acknowledge their demands. At the headquarters, the workers carried a simple message: if Nike can afford billion-dollar profits, it can afford to pay the women who make its shoes.
The workers attempted to speak with Nike employees directly, but were told they had no approval to be on “private property.” When security arrived to remove them, the three women did not back down. Instead, they calmly explained why they were there. They spoke about how they had their wages stolen from them while Nike’s profits soared and spoke about being laid off during the pandemic. “Our work makes Nike billions so we came 7000 miles to tell Nike executives to pay us what we deserve. They were so afraid of three women from Indonesia telling the truth that they sent security to kick us off their ‘private property’ and told us it was ‘only for Nike employees.’ Now we know how much power we can have,” said Dedeh.
Refusing to be silenced, the workers and their allies continued their protest just outside the headquarters. They stood their ground and raised their voices through slogans. They made sure everyone—from employees to passersby—heard the truth. The rally at Nike HQ was a declaration: garment workers are not invisible, and they will not be turned away quietly.
Stay tuned for more updates and read: Day Two Of The Worker Action Tour | Confronting Nike, Building Power
Day Two Of The Worker Action Tour | Confronting Nike, Building Power
May 27, 2025
Today, Dedeh, Dinar and Leni went with allies from Jobs with Justice and Action Center on Race in the Economy (ACRE) to the Nike Store in downtown Portland. The workers found the shoes they make in Indonesia and were shocked to find some had retail prices equal to more than their monthly wages. After store representatives asked them to leave, the workers and allies engaged with customers, asking how well they really know Nike and shared the story of their fight.
In the evening, the delegation met with labor and social movement allies from across Oregon at a dinner and meeting hosted by the Portland Association of Teachers. The teachers’ union president Angela Bonilla opened the meeting and connected Nike supply chain workers’ campaign to the fights of teachers and immigrant workers in the US. The workers gave powerful speeches, and the night ended with a conversation about how Oregon allies can bring pressure for the workers’ demands directly to Nike.
Stay tuned for more updates and read more about tour here: Day One Of The Worker Action Tour | Nike Workers Arrive At Nike’s Doorstep
Day One Of The Worker Action Tour | Nike Workers Arrive At Nike's Doorstep
“We are garment workers who make Nike shoes. We are now on our way to the United States to finally meet in person with our allies. And bring our demands directly to Nike!” said Dinar, Leni, and Dedeh excitedly as they began their journey from Jakarta to Portland. The three Indonesian worker activists, visibly happy but determined, are bringing their demands directly to Nike's doorstep. Their U.S. tour will span Portland, New York, and Washington, D.C., connecting worker activists with U.S.-based unions and allies to expose Nike’s exploitation and build a global call for change.
Dinar Swandini, Leni Oktira Sari, and Dedeh Nurhasanah are travelling from Jakarta to Portland, Oregon, to confront Nike face-to-face. As representatives of thousands of Asian garment workers, their journey is part of the Fight the Heist campaign, led jointly by their unions, Asia Floor Wage Alliance (AFWA), and Global Labor Justice (GLJ). They will bring their demands for wage increases and human rights protections directly to Nike and strengthen their relationships with US-based unions and other allies.
Who are Dinar, Leni and Dedeh - and what drives their journey?
Dinar Swandini works at a Nike-sourcing factory in Tangerang, Indonesia, sewing Nike logos onto shoes with a computerized machine at a rate of 60 pairs per hour. She also supports union communications for Garteks. “I was very disappointed in Nike during the pandemic. My fellow workers and I faced economic difficulties and needed to look for extra money just to meet our needs while Nike increased its profits,” she said. “Nike has never taken responsibility for the workers who make its products. Along with workers from other countries, I believe we will win this fight for better wages. With a lot of support, I am sure we can win.”
Dedeh Nurhasanah has worked in a Nike shoe factory for five years. Reflecting on what pushed her to speak out, she shared: “I am a technician in my factory and sometimes have to chip in from my own income to buy the materials we need for work,” she said. “In 2020, many workers were pushed to resign. For those of us who stayed, we saw our incomes cut by as much as half. I decided to join this campaign because while my close friends were laid off with only half their wages, Nike was making record profits. That’s what made me angry. Nike is a big brand that makes a lot of profit from the products we make — we workers have the right to enjoy the benefits of the work we do.”
Leni Oktira Sari has worked in a Nike shoe factory for 14 years and is a mother of two. Looking back on the pandemic and the risks she and her coworkers endured, she stated: “When I was infected with COVID-19 and had to be quarantined, there was no concern or support from my factory, even though I had a 6-month-old baby at home. My union, GSBI, opposed the wage cuts. As a result, we faced threats of dismissal just for standing up for our rights and our families. Even after the pandemic, we have to fight constantly against abuses in the factory, from reduced work breaks to poor handling of gender-based violence. We will keep fighting until we win. We need the support of all our fellow workers and the international community to speak up, to campaign and to win in the name of humanity.”
What will they do on this tour?
Dinar, Dedeh, and Leni, chosen by their unions and coworkers, will travel from Portland to New York to Washington, DC, to strategize, campaign, and protest alongside major U.S. labor organizations like AFL-CIO, American Federation of Teachers, Communication Workers of America, Unite Here, and Jobs with Justice. Their arrival marks the beginning of a powerful confrontation with Nike—a call for the brand to finally acknowledge and act upon the demands of the workers who sustain its profits.
Stay tuned for more updates from the Worker Activist Tour as Leni, Dedeh, and Dinar continue to raise their voices across the U.S. in their fight for justice!