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Do You Know Who Made Your Guitar?

January 14, 2010

For the past three years, Korean guitar workers and their supporters have been protesting the closure of these factories which left 123 workers without a job.  Workers are asking for these factories to be reopened under more just conditions.  Even the Korean courts ruled in favor of the workers on this one. For many of these guitar workers, making guitars is not just a job- it is also their art.  For some, it is what they have been doing their entire lives.

Olympic Skiers Aren't the Only Ones in a Race to the Bottom

January 13, 2010

One of the great aspects of this new initiative is that the organizations involved have identified proactive steps companies can take to improve worker rights in their supply chains.  The recommendations cover four key areas:

   1. Develop a positive climate for freedom of association and collective bargaining;
   2. Eliminate the use of precarious employment in sportswear supply chains;
   3. Lessen both the frequency and negative impacts of factory closures; and
   4. Take steps to improve worker incomes, with the goal of reaching a living wage for all workers.

Nestlé and the Cynical Use of Certification; “Fair Trade” for Some Tiny Percentage Gives Reputational Boost

December 24, 2009

By Jeff Ballinger

Do we debate Fairtrade (Ft) labeling and marketing in the U.S.?  No, not so much – at least not compared to Britain, where it is something of a blood sport (some links below).  It may be somewhat unfair to lump Ft in with Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), but that’s the direction in which I’m presently leaning – especially since I started researching issues related to TransFair USA’s imminent launch of a pilot factory standard for clothes. 

More anti-worker Scrooges!

December 21, 2009

The Chamber has stiff competition this year from Bank of America, Hyatt Hotels, Publix Supermarkets, and Sallie Mae and Citibank.  The policies promoted by the Chamber have led to high unemployment and people working harder and for longer hours as a recent JWJ and Institute for Policy Studies report shows.

Bloggers and Twitizens: Fund anti-sweatshop organizing by shrinking your urls with 3bl.me

December 17, 2009

By Liana Foxvog, National Organizer, SweatFree Communities

Thanks to a nifty new tool from 3BL Media, you can now generate funds to support non-profits while shrinking urls with a simple click at 3bl.me.

Until January 31st, each time you use 3bl.me, 3BL Media will contribute 1 cent to be split equally among three non-profit beneficiaries, including SweatFree Communities.

When you need those lengthy urls shortened for posting on twitter or on your blog/website, please remember 3bl.me!

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