Labor is Not a Commodity

We Want More from Our S’mores

By Mitch Ellmauer, Intern, International Labor Rights Forum

S'mores! They're everybody's favorite summertime snack. In fact, what warm summer night spent around the campfire would be complete without them? This year, however, you should ask yourself where the ingredients for that s'more come from. If that’s a Hershey's bar wedged between your graham crackers and your marshmallow you might want to think again before biting into your s'more. What might be a delicious treat for you may, in fact, be the product of forced, trafficked, or child labor in West Africa.

The Hershey Company, America's largest and oldest chocolate manufacture, likely uses cocoa harvested by child laborers in Cote d'Ivoire. Cote d'Ivoire is the world's largest cocoa exporter. Many children work in hazardous conditions harvesting cocoa, the primary ingredient in chocolate. Additionally, some children are even trafficked from neighboring countries to work on cocoa farms. Malian and Burkinian children, some as young as twelve, wind up on Ivorian plantations through a combination of trickery and desperate poverty. Traffickers, called "locateurs" in Mali, entice families with promises of good wages and education to send their children to work in Cote d'Ivoire. These children may work over 12 hours a day, are underfed, and even subject to beatings and abuse.

Take Action to Support Worker Rights Advocates in Bangladesh Through Facebook!

Mitch Ellmauer, Intern, International Labor Rights Forum

In 2010, workers in Bangladesh protested for higher minimum wages and better working conditions at the country's garment factories, including major Walmart suppliers. In retaliation, suppliers for Walmart and other multinational retailers have filed false charges against prominent labor rights leaders: Babul Akter, Kalpona Akter, Aminul Islam and other activists from the Bangladesh Center for Worker Solidarity. If convicted, they could face life imprisonment or even the death penalty. That is why ILRF has set up an e-mail action to Walmart here.

So far, Walmart’s response to human rights violations committed by its suppliers has been insufficient. On May 18, Walmart issued a statement claiming that charges against BCWS had been dropped. However, the charges have not been dismissed; and BCWS is still subject to government and company intimidation. According to Babul, Kalpona, and Aminul, the activists are still required to show up in court regularly.

Walmart also refuses to address the deplorable working conditions in its subcontracter factories. Garment workers in Bangladesh are among the poorest paid in the world. Workers at Walmart’s Nassa Group factory are paid no more than the minimum wage of $43 a month, barely enough to feed one person, much less a family.

Help us pressure Walmart to take responsibility for its subcontractors! Go to Walmart’s Facebook page and post a message like this: "Walmart: don't do business with your Bangladeshi suppliers until they drop the fabricated criminal charges against labor rights advocates." Or post a message like this on Twitter: @Walmart: intervene before Bangladeshi #labor leaders are sentenced to death. http://bit.ly/WMAction via @ILRF #Walmart

Walmart Stops Censoring Facebook Page, But Avoids Key Issue

By Liana Foxvog, National Organizer, SweatFree Communities

Last Friday, I posted several times on Walmart's facebook wall; each time Walmart deleted my note within 5 minutes. However, soon after change.org posted this story, and many more people expressed their concerns on the wall about human rights in Walmart's Bangladesh supply chain, Walmart stopped censoring.

Allowing public debate on their facebook wall is an improvement, but Walmart continues to avoid responding directly to the points their customers raise. See for example this exchange:

David Finch: Walmart please tell your your Bangladeshi suppliers to drop all falsified criminal charges against labor rights leaders. Please take responsibility it nice that you looked at the problem in 2010 but what are you doing today about it today why did you stop answering questions? Are you too ashamed to answer?

Walmart: Hi David - Thanks for sharing your concern. Walmart's sourcing decisions reflect our values and demonstrate respect for workers throughout the supply chain including those in Bangladesh. This is why in 2010, Walmart joined other leading brands and retailers in encouraging the Bangladesh Government to review the minimum wages for workers in the garment industry to ensure worker needs are met as well as a built-in mechanism for a yearly review of the minimum wages. For information on our Supplier Standards see http://tinyurl.com/WalmartEthicalSourcing.

David Finch: That's nice but what are doing about the three labor leaders in jail?

Silenced Against Injustice

By Allison Richina, Intern, International Labor Rights Forum

How many times throughout your life have you felt misrepresented or that other people were not being
treated in the way that they should? Whether it has been more than once or not so much, we definitely have the privilege of the freedom of expression, press, and speech. Which entitles us as Americans to voice our concerns and begin a conversation for change. 

Now imagine workers, activists, people who never have that opportunity to express their concerns and when they do, they are punished in the worst ways. Hard to imagine right? How can concerned individuals be punished for their active voice in creating healthier environments for their society? Well, this is the case for one too many human rights activists around the world. 

Lately there has been several cases that have attacked human rights activists for their activism in bettering working conditions for workers and a healthier society. 

Cosi's Chocolate S'mores Should be Delicious for Workers

Tim Newman, Campaigns Director, International Labor Rights Forum

With restaurants in 18 cities, the District of Columbia and even the United Arab Emirates, Cosi is a popular spot for sandwiches, salads and other items. One of its popular menu features are s'mores that you can toast up at your table. The s'mores kit comes with graham crackers, marshmallows and a Hershey chocolate bar. While Cosi's motto is "Life Should be Delicious," there is a potentially unsavory ingredient in the restaurant's chocolate treats.

Child labor, forced labor and trafficking continue in West Africa's cocoa industry. Almost ten years after major chocolate companies agreed to eliminate these abuses from their supply chains, the exploitation has not ended. Recently, the US Department of Labor included cocoa from five West African nations on its "List of Goods Produced by Forced Labor or Child Labor."

A research team from Tulane University has been conducting the most extensive independent review of company efforts to address child and forced labor on cocoa farms in West Africa and recently released its final assessment. The report's top recommendation is that "industry should continue to scale up its consumption -- and publicly commit to new procurement targets -- of product certified cocoa, specifically in the U.S. market." Many companies are starting to commit to using Fair Trade Certified cocoa as a step toward responsibly sourcing their cocoa.

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Read the Stories of Working Mothers from around the World

Michelle Petrotta, Program Officer, International Labor Rights Forum

As you know, the Sunday before last we celebrated Mother’s Day: a day we gave flowers, chocolates, or greeting cards to our own mothers to honor their work to raise us, provide for us, and help us live a better life. At ILRF, on Mother’s Day, we reflected upon the struggles of working mothers around the world, and their efforts to organize for respect and dignity in the workplace. 

Last week, ILRF launched an intimate look into the lives of working mothers. As the free trade model replicates worldwide, multinational corporations exploit increasingly weak and “flexible” labor laws. As a result, women workers are systematically denied their rights to regular pay and working hours; equal pay for equal work; permanent contracts; safe and non-hazardous work environments; non-discrimination; and freedom of association. 

These stories are just a few voices among the millions of women that plant, harvest, pack, and prepare our food, and engage in paid domestic work, in order to support their families. ILRF would like to graciously thank our partners around the world that have spent time listening to these women tell their stories. 

Labor Rights in Haiti: More Than One Year After the Earthquake

By Elisabeth Springer, Intern, International Labor Rights Forum

The catastrophic January 2010 earthquake in Haiti, which took an estimated 316,000 lives and made over 1 million people homeless, was also very damaging to the country’s labor market. The International Labor Organization (ILO) reports many Haitians worked from their homes and from smaller businesses, and an estimated 130,000 of these places of work were destroyed. Additionally, Haiti had about 200 large factories, mainly in the garment industry, and about one third of those collapsed in the wake of the natural disaster. In total, the earthquake resulted in the loss of about 90,000 jobs. Most of the apparel factories have resumed their work, bringing the number of those employed in garment manufacturing back up to the pre-Earthquake figure of 28,000.

The United States has attempted to help rebuild Haiti’s manufacturing industry by passing the HELP (Haiti Economic Lift Program) act in 2010. This is an extension of the HOPE (Haitian Hemispheric Opportunity through Partnership Encouragement) Act of 2006, which gave preferential access to US imports of Haitian apparel by allowing for duty-free treatment of these products. HELP seeks to expand the duty-free access to the U.S. market for Haitian textile and apparel exports and to extend the existing trade preference programs for Haiti through 2020.

Fair Play for Olympic Workers

By Ed Mattos, Intern, International Labor Rights Forum

“Is it fair to go to a mega sports event and pay a high price for a t-shirt that has been made by an underpaid worker in a sweatshop on the other side of the world?”

This is the question asked by Play Fair 2012, a global campaign organized to draw attention to labor conditions in the apparel industry of the Global South.  In the midst of preparations for the 2012 London Olympic Games, Play Fair is seeking to persuade such brands as Nike and Speedo to improve labor standards in their suppliers’ factories.  In March the campaign was also launched in Brazil, site of the 2014 World Cup soccer tournament and the 2016 Olympics.  There Play Fair was joined by the Building Workers International  [BWI] at a conference. The two organizations want to ensure fair labor standards in the construction of venues for these high-profile events as well.

1911 – 2011: One Hundred Years of Continuous Struggle and Tragedy for Factory Workers Globally

By Allison Richina, Intern, International Labor Rights Forum

ILRF was honored to be invited to join Union Privilege’s  http://www.unionplus.org/ Lunch ‘n Learn on Friday. Union Privilege has provided consumer benefits to members and retirees of  labor unions continuing the strength of unions. Just as unions provide strength in the workplace, Union Privilege provides that strength in the marketplace. ILRF was proud to have Campaign Director Tim Newman join the presentation. In addition one of ILRF’s Board members Carol Rosenblatt (Executive Director of Coalition of Labor Union Women) was able to join as well. The presentation and discussion provided an opportunity to highlight the history of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire and today’s issues around worker health and safety.

 

From the Streets in Madison: Workers Worldwide are Connected

By Colleen Johnston

The movement in Madison against Walker’s union busting bill has garnered the attention of people nationwide and across the globe and has ushered in a new opportunity for labor activists to deliver their message of solidarity for workers’ rights everywhere. I returned to my home state in March; in the few days I spent in Madison, I witnessed several promising opportunities for a strengthening of ties worldwide in the building of this movement.

The solidarity for Wisconsin workers has been astounding. Since the initial protests in February, tangible support and messages of unity have come from all over the globe; unions in Turkey, France, Bangladesh and Iraq (to name a few) have all voiced their solidarity for Wisconsin workers. The protesters in Madison have in some ways reciprocated these messages.     The Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW) held a rally connecting the American wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to class warfare within our country. They are also bringing to light the ways the American military presence assists the state in oppressing workers in these occupied countries.