The last 30 years have seen tremendous changes in the production of sports shoes. When the costs of production began to rise in the United States and Europe, and workers organized and exercised collective bargaining power, sports shoe companies relocated their factories or sought subcontractors in Asia where wages were much lower and where systematic repression of labor movements promised a 'docile' workforce. Companies like Nike and Reebok began to subcontract to medium and small-scale companies in East Asia, particularly China and South Korea.