Workers who once made University of Wisconsin apparel in El Salvador have been unable to find jobs after their factory abruptly closed in 2005 because of their union activities, a University of Wisconsin-Madison official said Wednesday. UW-Madison official Dawn Crim reported the findings of her trip earlier this month to investigate allegations that Adidas AG violated the university's code of conduct with its treatment of workers at a factory that closed in 2005. Student activists are pressing the university to end its exclusive athletics contract with Adidas over the violations, and a university committee advised Chancellor John Wiley to do so earlier this year.
See "Workers who made Badgers wear were 'blacklisted,' official says", Ryan J. Foley, Chicago Tribune, April 24, 2007