Does Nike’s Culture of Paying Sweatshop Wages Overseas Encourage Employees to Stiff Portland Drivers?
Two Days, Four Nike employee rides. Zero tips.
This is my second article on Nike Employees not tipping in two days! Last night I picked up Mack from downtown Portland. Mack was very cordial and happy to talk about his employment at Nike, especially his work on the Michael Jordan Golf apparel brand! Yet after this ride, Mack like the other Nike employees I picked up this week, stiffed me on the tip. Like the other Nike employees, I noticed Mack had under a 5 Star rating so I asked him how he could have over 1600 rides and not have a 5 Star? Mack said he must have shut the door too hard or something like that. Ha Ha Ha. Drivers know that if you don’t have 5 Starts it’s because you don’t tip. You can slam my door as hard as you like Mack, as long as you leave a Tip, you’ll be getting 5 Stars!
So what’s going on here? Portland has always had Nike’s back. We’ve celebrated the swoosh, cheered Phil Knight’s success, filled the stores, and proudly called Nike Oregon’s hometown giant. But when local rideshare drivers safely get Nike employees home at night, they’re treated like they don’t deserve a penny—exactly the way Nike has historically treated factory workers in China, Vietnam, and Indonesia.
Phil Knight built a multi-billion-dollar empire by paying overseas workers poverty wages while raking in massive profits. Michael Jordan made over a billion dollars from the Jordan brand alone. Does that same “pay as little as possible” mindset now teach Nike employees that Portland drivers don’t deserve tips either?
Phil Knight and Michael Jordan: you owe this community more than tax breaks and slogans. Fix the culture at Nike. Make it clear that stiffing the same working-class Portlanders who supported you for decades is unacceptable. Teach your employees to tip the driver the way you claim to value hard work.
Until that changes, this rideshare driver won’t be buying any Nike branded products! I will also be telling this story to every passenger who gets in my car!
Lyft and Uber Drivers – No more Nike shoes, apparel, or gear—for you or your family.
When a Nike employee doesn’t tip, give them one star and share the story with #NikeNoTip.
We’ve supported Nike for over 50 years.
Now it’s time Nike supports us—or we stop supporting them.
#NikeNoTip #PhilKnight #MichaelJordan #BoycottNike #PortlandRideshare #Oregon #Lyft #Uber #Rideshare101
Article by Devin Andres, MBA
Date: December 12th, 2025