Corporate Action Network

22 Arrested at Protests at Justice Department While Demanding an End to "Too Big to Jail"

Levana Layendecker — Tue, 21 May 2013 02:12:00 +0000

"From Florida to New York desperation and outrage towards banks is increasing as the foreclosure rate puts tens of thousands at risk of losing their homes every month.

Hundreds of protesters marched through the streets of DC calling for bankers to be held responsible and prosecuted for sweeping foreclosure practices which they call 'troubling.'

Hundreds of protesters called for the US Department of Justice to demand an end to mass foreclosures."

Watch the video coverage here.

Homeowners to Risk Arrest at Justice Department to Demand Wall Street Accountability

Levana Layendecker — Mon, 20 May 2013 11:53:00 +0000

“Bring Justice to Justice” demands relief from foreclosure crisis, objects to AG Holder’s declaration that banks are too big to jail

In Washington, D.C., on Monday, May 20th, hundreds of homeowners facing foreclosure and housing rights activists from across the country will rally outside of the United States Department of Justice to demand Attorney General Holder hold the Wall Street Banks that ravaged America’s economy accountable. Dozens of struggling homeowners are prepared to risk arrest in non-violent civil disobedience or set up an ongoing occupation outside the Department of Justice until demands for Wall Street accountability and relief for their communities are addressed.

The rally will begin at Freedom Plaza at 1:45pm on May 20th. Activists will march to the Department of Justice at 2:00pm. The rally is organized by Homeowners fighting foreclosure, activists, Home Defenders League & Occupy Homes.

Monday’s protest is a sign of rising anger at Wall Street bankers who have gone unpunished, and the continuing lack of adequate relief to struggling homeowners and communities. Following Attorney General Holder’s assertion that some financial institutions are too big to jail, more than 330,000 Americans have signed a petition circulated by the Campaign for a Fair Settlement and others calling on President Obama to repudiate Holder’s remarks.

Organizers of the “Bring Justice to Justice Rally” sent a letter to Attorney General Holder this week requesting a meeting to outline their dismay over the failure of the Obama administration to prosecute Wall Street banks for crimes that caused the financial crisis or deliver effective relief to homeowners battling the ongoing foreclosure crisis. Stories of homeowners fighting foreclosure and a petition to President Obama are collected at “100 Stories of What Wall Street Broke” blog. The costs of the ongoing foreclosure crisis and its effect on racial disparities are documented in a new report, “Wasted Wealth.”

Buying Off the Ref

Levana Layendecker — Tue, 07 May 2013 12:17:00 +0000

New from the Huffington Post, "Buying off the Ref" by Brian Young, Corporate Action Network, Managing Director:

"The Supreme Court is supposed to the branch of government that acts as a referee. When any party has too much power and is using it to break the rules of the Constitution, the role of the Supreme Court is to step in and blow the whistle, remind everyone of the rules, and then allow all involved to "Play ball!" But, what if someone gets to choose the ref? And then rigs the game by picking who gets to play and who doesn't? That's exactly what the Chamber of Commerce is doing."

Read the full piece here.

Field Report: Walmart Workers Day of Action

Levana Layendecker — Mon, 06 May 2013 05:15:00 +0000

The following update comes from Boulder, CO where on April 25th workers stood up for better treatment from their employer, Walmart.

Walmart workers are part of the environment, too.
by Matt Nicdodemus, Occupy Boulder

Last Thursday, as part of national coordinated actions to support Walmart workers seeking higher wages, more hours, and more transparent scheduling, I and two friends set out in a car to meet with managers at seven area Walmart stores. After stopping at the Walmart Neighborhood Market under construction in Boulder's Diagonal Mall, we visited the Supercenters in Broomfield, Westminster, Lafayette and Longmont. At each site, we found the store manager or an assistant manager and delivered to them information about important changes that Walmart's top management had committed to make in the company, changes that would make it more possible for their "associates" to get the number of hours of work and regularity of hours assignments that would allow them to subsist on a more stable income. We informed the managers that these changes, promised several months ago, had still not been implemented at more than a few stores in the US, and encouraged them to try and help the process of improvement along by communicating with top management.

End Deathtraps Tour Covers US

Levana Layendecker — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 06:39:00 +0000

Trapped inside the crowded, smoke-filled garment factory, 24-year-old Sumi Abedin did the only thing she could do to escape the flames: she jumped. Falling three stories from the burning factory’s window, Sumi broke a leg and a hand on impact, but she was lucky. One hundred and twelve of her co-workers perished in what is now known as the worst Bangladesh factory fire in history. Nearly half of the bodies were burned beyond recognition.

To draw attention to the workers' plight, as well as the shameful lack of action by Walmart and other brands involved, Sumi traveled to the U.S. for a 10-city tour to pressure Walmart and other retailers into improving safety standards throughout Bangladesh’s massive garment manufacturing sector and to demand compensation for the victims of the tragedy. Sumi, who is still recovering from her injuries, was joined by Kalpona Akter, the executive director of the Bangladesh Center for Worker Solidarity, as well as activists from Corporate Action Network, International Labor Rights Forum, Making Change at Walmart, SumOfUs, United Students Against Sweatshops, and Warehouse Workers United. These groups joined together to draw the world’s attention to the injustices and hazards plaguing Bangladesh’s garment industry. The tour is a continuation of an ongoing campaign launched in November 2012 immediately following the deadly fire. An online network of groups and activists led by the Corporate Action Network, have been pressuring Walmart to make amends and prevent future tragedies for over five months.

Sadly while Sumi and Kalpona were on the tour, another unsafe factory took the lives of more than 200 people in Bangladesh. The Tazreen fire that Sumi survived was not an isolated incident, and this week’s factory collapse is sad reminder of the epidemic proportions of worker abuse going on Bangladesh.

Take Action Now: Tell Gap to sign on to the Bangladesh Worker Safety Agreement

Levana Layendecker — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 06:32:00 +0000

Yesterday a factory building collapse in Bangladesh killed 244 people and the death toll is rising. Worker conditions in Bangladesh keep getting worse, while clothing retailers do nothing.

This. Must. Stop. Now.

SumofUs is asking people to go to clothing retailer, GAP, to deliver a letter to managers asking GAP, a major clothing buyer from Bangladesh factories, to sign on the the Bangladesh Fire and Building Safety Agreement.

Here's what you need to know to deliver a letter to GAP today.

Groups are also organizing actions at other retailers such as Walmart. Check the events on this page as they get posted today.

Here's a video from the worker tour that is going on right now. Two survivors of terrible fires in Bangladesh are traveling around the country right now. Sumi Abedin, a Bangladeshi garment worker who survived the November 24, 2012, fire that killed 112 of her coworkers at Tazreen Fashions, and Kalpona Akter is the executive director of the Bangladesh Center for Worker Solidarity (BCWS) and a former garment worker. They will be going to the Gap headquarters to confront the executives who could decide to spend $0.10 per garment to end these terrible tragedies.

Don’t Let Corporations Game Our Broken Immigration System

Levana Layendecker — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 05:54:00 +0000

This week will be a big week for comprehensive immigration reform. Our partner, SEIU is organizing thousands of immigrants and allies to come to DC to tell Congress to pass commonsense immigration reform now.

But how does corporate abuse affect immigration reform? Unfortunately, corporate abuse of workers plays into immigration reform in many ways. Brian Young explains here in his post on Daily Kos, Don’t Let Corporations Game Our Broken Immigration System:

Currently, corporations are using loopholes in immigration policy to abuse workers in the United States. And even with this new deal between the AFL and Chamber of Commerce, as Laura Clawson pointed out in her post on the deal last week, many loopholes and backdoors will remain for businesses to exploit workers, including the McDonalds workers who came here on J1 visas through the State Department.

Their story is one of pure corporate abuse.

Read the full post here.

Home Defenders League leads national day of action to tell DOJ: No bank is too big to jail

Levana Layendecker — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 01:18:35 +0000

From the Huffington Post:

Eric Holder 'Too Big To Jail' Claim Draws 300,000 Signatures Demanding Action From Obama

Activists will deliver petitions to Department of Justice offices around the country on Tuesday, calling on President Barack Obama to crack down on big banks. The move comes after nearly a month of vocal backlash against Attorney General Eric Holder's admission that some financial institutions are simply too big to prosecute.

The petitions, organized by a variety of liberal advocacy groups such as MoveOn and CREDO Action, have drawn more than 300,000 signatures, organizers claim. A petition on MoveOn's digital platform calling for Obama to "take immediate steps to break up the big banks and prosecute the criminals who used them to destroy our economy" has gathered more than 140,000 signatures. CREDO’s petition demanding that Holder resign if he won’t prosecute criminal bankers has drawn more than 150,000 signatures.

Read full article.

Do Asbestos Victims Deserve Compensation? And Other Questions the Wall Street Journal Never Asks

Levana Layendecker — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 01:38:35 +0000

Corporate Action Network feature from the Huffington Post:

Is the Wall Street Journal afraid to make an affirmative statement about so-called "fraud" in asbestos cases? They should be. Their passive voice headline: "As Asbestos Claims Rise, So Do Worries About Fraud" is typical of a media source that can't stand behind their work. Here's how to make this an example of real journalism: the WSJ reporters should fill us in on who is worrying and how those fears arose. Turns out it's actually the WSJ reporters who are working overtime to raise the alarm over the "avalanche" of litigation and claims that "pile up" at the rate of 85 per day. As I previously reported, there is good reason for this increase in cases filed. In fact, the entire article's premise of rampant fraud seems to rest on an example of one fraudulent claim filed by one individual out of the 850,000 claims and cases over 30 years that they analyzed for the article.

Read the full article here.

Shedding a Tear for the Insurance Industry?

Levana Layendecker — Wed, 27 Feb 2013 06:28:00 +0000

Corporate Action Network feature from the Huffington Post:

Experts estimate that total U.S. deaths from asbestos will reach a half a million lives lost. Many of these deaths could have been prevented had the dangers of asbestos not been covered up and safety regulations stalled, which means that there will likely be waves of litigation on behalf of the victims of asbestos poisoning.

As a result, a recent ratings firm report estimated that insurers will need to set aside an additional $11 billion for claims that will eventually total $85 billion. That's $170,000 per victim.

For some, this is not the time to make things right with the victims. Or a chance to make sure we protect against this happening in the future. Oh no, to them, this is a time to defend who they see as the real victims in all of this: the insurance companies and others who would be on the hook for the damages.

As we speak, ALEC (The American Legislative Exchange Council) is drafting and pushing legislation to make it harder for victims to sue. Because as they see it, a "flood" of victims seeking compensation must be evidence of fraud -- rather than a lot of people suffering and dying.

Read the full post on HuffPo.