She Was a Key Voice of the 1990s Labor Movement in Nike’s Indonesia Factories. Today She Relies on Donations From Abroad.

ProPublicaCenter-LeftEN 12 min read 100% complete by Matthew KishJanuary 30, 2026 at 11:25 AM
She Was a Key Voice of the 1990s Labor Movement in Nike’s Indonesia Factories. Today She Relies on Donations From Abroad.

AI Summary

long article 12 min

Cicih Sukaesih, a key figure in the 1990s labor movement within Nike's Indonesian factories, now relies on donations from abroad to survive. She organized strikes and confronted Nike's co-founder Phil Knight, bringing attention to the plight of young female workers and helping to establish the Indonesian trade union movement. Despite her activism leading to improvements like the elimination of child labor and better safety measures, Cicih struggled to find work afterward. Now 62, she lives with her sister and depends on financial support from labor organizers like Jim Keady, who sends her monthly donations. While Cicih is proud of her impact, she acknowledges that issues like low wages persist in Nike's supplier factories.

Keywords

nike 90% labor movement 90% indonesia 80% factory worker 80% labor rights 70% sweatshop 60% trade union 60% activism 50% low wages 50% donations 40%

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Negative
Score: -0.40

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Source
ProPublica
Political Lean
Center-Left (-0.40)
Far LeftCenterFar Right
Classification Confidence
90%

This article was automatically classified using rule-based analysis. The political bias score ranges from -1 (far left) to +1 (far right).

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