Labor is Not a Commodity

Nike to Pay $1.54 million to workers laid off in Honduras

Nayeli Luis, Intern, International Labor Rights Forum"

Once again labor activists show what can be accomplished when they unite. Last year, United Students Against Sweatshops activists successfully pressured Russell Athletic to rehire 1,200 workers in Honduras when the Jerzees de Honduras factory closed after they unionized.

This time however, students achieved a lot more.  Nike in a compromise with a Honduran labor federation, Central General de Trabajadores, representing the workers laid off, agreed to pay $1.54 million to a relief fund for workers who had lost their jobs when two Nike subcontractors closed their factories. Surprising isn’t it? It becomes even more shocking when one takes into consideration that on April 20th, Nike made a statement discouraging the two subcontractors Hugger and Vision Tex for their failure to pay any compensation to the workers, but did not accept its own responsibility by paying the workers.

Justice for Reynolds Tobacco Field Workers

By Justin Flores, Farm Labor Organizing Committee

On June 25, a bus full of FLOC members joined hundreds of FLOC supporters in Detroit to keep the pressure on the Reynolds American corporate machinery in an effort to end rampant human right abuses in the company’s supply chain. 

Many might wonder how a group of poor Mexican farmworkers expect to exert enough pressure on a company as wealthy and powerful as Reynolds to make them change their policies regarding their supply chain. The largest of the corporate giants, while potentially intimidating, also reveals a group of players that might be more willing to do the right thing (given the correct amount of pressure).

The Day FIFA Lost its Soul: A Shameful Bait and Switch

By Jeff Ballinger

The recent soccer ball report by ILRF made me angry – at myself.  Some of us have been very fortunate to have had the opportunity to work with groups of workers resisting corporate-dominated globalization and challenging the neo-lib/free trade orthodoxy; sometimes, it must be admitted, we mess up and a promising opportunity goes off the rails.  In cases like the soccer ball controversy in Pakistan, the workers may actually have ended up worse off after a well-intentioned intervention; we were too trusting and the unique circumstances of the case made it appear winnable.

Most rich-country consumers have a myopic view of ethical consumption; part of this mindset is that goods produced with child labor are far and away the chief wrong to be avoided.  But this classic form of exploitation has only a few manifestations in the modern, globalized production-for-export field.  What consumers must tune in to, rather, is the fact that millions of children are working in poor countries because the adults who are making our shoes, toys, apparel and electronics do not earn enough to pay modest school fees or provide a decent standard of living without the kids’ meager earnings from the informal sector – from hawking newspapers, delivering tea, domestic work and the like.  The urgent challenge of our young century is to popularize campaigns such as the new effort led by pro-worker groups for an Asia Floor Wage. The most bitter and intense struggle today is in Bangladesh where a new minimum wage is long overdue and the greedy apparel buyers – big brands from the U.S. and Europe -  are refusing to support the workers, even rhetorically (what they were shamed into doing in 2006).  Cambodian apparel workers, likewise, are trying to get beyond half-way to a living wage while encountering fierce opposition from industry executives and repressive tactics deployed by the Hun Sen regime.

Charts, Marketing 101, and the Colombian FTA: These Aren’t Just Numbers

Erin Marie Mihalik, Intern, U.S. Labor Education in the Americas Project; Law Student, Indiana University Maurer School of Law

There have been approximately 2,753 trade unionists and leaders assassinated in Colombia between January 1986 and June 2010.  Nearly 3,000 people killed for standing up for the basic human rights associated with working conditions.  Nearly 3,000 killed in a single country over the past 24 years.

Some who are in favor of the Colombia Free Trade Agreement would argue that Uribe made good on his promise to reduce violence against trade unionists.  They would likely show you a chart similar to the one below – it highlights a peak of a staggering 274 assassinations in 1996 dropping to 48 assassinations in 2009.  The Colombian trade unionist assassination rate declining to roughly 17.5% of its peak level isn’t anything to dismiss lightly.  I mean, wow, what a drop – shouldn’t we reward Colombia for its efforts by passing the FTA into being?

Vital Workers’ Organization Stripped of Legal Status, Staff Member Detained and Beaten by Police

Where’s the Freedom for Workers in Bangladesh?  Don’t Let the Government and Factory Owners Silence Worker’s Voices 

Urgent Action Alert: Vital Workers’ Organization Stripped of Legal Status, Staff Member Detained and Beaten by Police

You may have seen the shocking media images of children beaten by the police in Bangladesh in efforts to crack down on garment worker protests. Workers are demanding the minimum wage be raised to $72 per month, which would allow them to pay for basic needs and live with dignity. The current minimum wage, $25 per month, is so low workers and their children go hungry. However, most factory owners are not interested in changing their abusive labor practices and exert enough pressure over the Bangladeshi government to silence the voices of workers and their advocates.

Will you send an email today to add your voice in support of Bangladeshi workers?

On June 3, 2010, the government stripped the Bangladesh Center for Workers Solidarity (BCWS) of their legal status, alleging the organization was inciting unrest in garment factories.  Founded and led by former garment workers, BCWS is well respected internationally and trusted by the workers.   Even more alarming, BCWS staff member Aminul Islam was detained by Bangladeshi security forces on June 16., He was beaten and forced to sign a statement incriminating himself. Mr. Islam was told he was going to be killed in a staged “cross-fire incident” and dumped in the jungle where no one would find him, his wife would also be murdered, and his children would become orphans if he refused to sign. Mr. Islam was able to escape and is now in hiding unable to stay with his wife and children.

Demand the Release of Journalists Who Exposed Corruption in the Cocoa Industry

Tim Newman, Campaigns Director, International Labor Rights Forum

As readers of this blog know, the cocoa industry in the Ivory Coast has been plagued by abusive child labor, forced labor and trafficking for years.  Another consistent problem has been corruption in the government management of this sector.  A government inquiry into corruption in the Coffee and Cocoa Board has led to the imprisonment of over 20 officials.

Many of these abuses have come to light due to the fearless work of journalists in Cote d'Ivoire.  But exposing human rights abuses and corruption in the production of the country's major export often comes with dangerous consequences.  In 2005, French journalist Guy-André Kieffer disappeared while investigating corruption in the cocoa industry and his case remains unsolved to this day.  Just last week, three editors of the newspaper Le Nouveau Courrier, Théophile Kouamouo, Stéphane Guédé and Saint Claver Oula, were arrested hours after publishing a story about the government inquiry into cocoa corruption.

These journalists need your support TODAY! TAKE ACTION HERE!

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“Riegel Deceits, Exploits, Steals and Lays Off Workers”: Temporary workers in the Colombian Cut-Flower Sector on Strike

Ledys Sanjuan Mejia, Intern, International Labor Rights Forum

“I can’t be unemployed” said Emilse Bermudez, a laid off cut flower worker. She and her 200 co-workers were victims of a series of dismissals that began June 30th in the Riegel S.A. plantation. On July 7th, on the road that leads to Facatativá, temporary cut flower workers took a stand and blockaded the company gates awaiting a response from company representatives. Untraflores, the cut flower trade union, immediately stepped in to show solidarity with the dismissed workers.  Aide Silva, President of Untraflores called this struggle “of extreme importance, as this is the first time temporary workers take a stand against management to fight for their labor rights. They are holding the company responsible and not dubious temporary employment agencies”. The use of temporary workers and Associated Work Cooperatives (Cooperativas de Trabajo Asociado, CTA) is now the rule in cut-flower companies. By using subcontractors, job security is low and labor rights are violated without employer accountability. The 35 workers outside the gates of Riegel plantations represent all levels of organized workers:  temporary, formal and informal.

Mario Camacho Navas, José Roberto Camacho Navas and Carlos Eduardo Forero Ramírez senior executives and manager Cristian Caicedo Castillo head the Riegel S.A. distributor and producer of roses and astromelias in the savannah of Bogota.  Riegel underwent restructuring in November 2009. Restructuring is common practice among cut flower companies in Colombia. When a company restructures, workers are laid off and a completely new workforce -or sometimes the same workers- are hired under temporary, unstable contracts through CTAs or temporary agencies. Previous contracts and seniority are scrapped when a company restructures, thus endangering workplace security and stripping people of their rights as permanent employees. In this case the head of the CTA, A.S. Servicios Integrales E.U, Alberto Santamaría Roa is also the head of human resources of Reigel. The fact that the head of human resources is the owner of the CTA, demonstrates that CTAs are tools used to further exploit workers by sidestepping company accountability for setting fair wages, creating permanent employment contracts, and respecting the workers’ rights. 

Do you really want to “Take Our Jobs”? A Farmworker Reality

Nayeli Luis, Intern, International Labor Rights Forum

The recent U.S. recession has caused immigrant farm workers to be placed under scrutiny as they are seen by many anti-immigrant Americans to be taking jobs that belong to U.S. citizens. Weary of being presented as part of the blame for the economic crisis, the United Farm Workers (UFW) has launched the “Take Our Jobs” campaign, aimed to encourage citizens to take immigrant farm laborers’ jobs in the field. Any takers? I figured you may not want to be the first in line!

Weeding, picking and packing goods in usually harsh weather conditions are what characterize the work that a farm worker performs all day long. In the U.S. these types of jobs are mostly taken by migrant and seasonal workers. This is often because of their legal status where they are forced to take any job regardless of the danger it may pose.  Often immigrants are here in the U.S. to make enough money to support their family back home. According to the UFW president Arturo Rodriguez, the federal government estimates that 50 percent of farm workers in the U.S. are undocumented. It is not surprising therefore, that the goal of the UFW campaign is to raise awareness of the importance of immigrant labor in the U.S. economy, an essential key to help pass the Agriculture Jobs Bill. If ratified this bill would legalize the status of undocumented farm laborers and provide them with benefits.

Big Step Forward for Sweatfree DC; DC Councilmember Mary Cheh Shows Support!

Emily Wood, Intern, International Labor Rights Forum

If you’ve been hanging around Washington, DC you may have been approached by a Sweatfree DC supporter requesting you to sign a postcard that is to be delivered next week to DC Councilmember Mary Cheh.  We collected almost 300 postcards in a matter of weeks and the pile continues to grow.

Just today we took part in a key meeting with Councilmember Mary Cheh to determine whether she would support the notion of responsible contracting so that bids from potential vendors will be vetted with labor rights in mind.  Ms. Cheh committed today during our meeting to work out language focused on responsible contracting which is a great victory on our end.  Now comes the hard part of figuring out exactly what that language looks like.  We hope that those in the DC metro area will sign postcards, send emails, turn out to key government votes, and spread the word in order for us to make sure that we are able to win on strong responsible contracting language which includes joining the Sweatfree Purchasing Consortium.

Ratification of the CEDAW Treaty: Pressure the Obama Administration to Uphold its Commitment to Women’s Rights

By the CEDAW Task Force of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights

Time and time again President Obama has declared his support for women worldwide and announced that the ratification of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) was an important priority.  Now we need him to show leadership in advancing women and girls’ rights around the world.  As women and men who believe in the basic rights of women and girls worldwide – the right to live free from violence, the ability to go to school, and access to the political system – we need President Obama to send a strong and urgent signal to the Senate that ratification of CEDAW is vital.

We are within striking distance of CEDAW ratification, but the window of opportunity is closing, and fast.  We cannot allow the United States to continue to be one of only seven countries in the world that has not ratified CEDAW.  We know that CEDAW works. Several countries, including Australia, Brazil, Morocco, South Africa, and Uganda have incorporated provisions in the CEDAW treaty into their constitutions and domestic legal codes.  Additionally, Egypt, Jordan, Nicaragua, and Pakistan have all seen significant increases in literacy rates after improving access to education for girls and women.