News

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.

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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.p>

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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.

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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.

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