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Farmworkers are *** Over Under New Guestworker Program

December 19, 2008

My issues with the new regulations don't take the protectionist bent that others bring up. US farmworkers deserve jobs that pay a living wage and allow workers to unionize along with migrant farmworkers.  Incoming migrant workers are especially in need of work, thanks to the US corporations that dominate our food system, exploit farmworkers abroad and unfairly prevent subsistence farmers from making a living.  Immigrant farmworkers who have been displaced by US farm subsidies and exploited by US corporations such as Wal-Mart, Dole, Del Monte and Nestle who pay poverty wages have no choice but to migrate.

Take action to provide working families in Honduras with something to celebrate this Christmas!

December 19, 2008

Russell Corporation, the
apparel manufacturer owned by Berkshire Hathaway Corp., the Nebraska-based
investment firm headed by Warren Buffett – world’s wealthiest man,– has been
linked to some of the most egregious violations of workers rights seen in Central America in recent years.

Another Victory: the Coalition of Immokalee Workers and Subway

December 17, 2008

Throughout their tour of the Northeast, CIW delivered letters to many major supermarkets as well as food distribution companies like Aramark and Sodexho.  On December 4th, the workers visited DC.  ILRF, the RFK Center for Justice and Human Rights and the Institute for Policy Studies co-sponsored a discussion with some of the campaign representatives at SEIU.  It was a great opportunity to celebrate the Subway agreement, learn more about the struggle of agricultural workers in the US DCSafeway

Worker Occupations North and South: A reflection on the Republic occupation and what it means for workers everywhere

December 17, 2008

An insightful article by Benjamin Dangl compares the Republic occupation to those in Argentina in 2001, during Argentina's financial crisis. He writes, "at a time when politicians have failed to respond appropriately to one of the worst US economic crises in history, the occupation of the Republic Windows and Doors factory is a reminder that desperate times call for fresh approaches to social change."

Who's Corrupt?

December 17, 2008

Well, since
groups such as “Americans for Free Choice”  and the Chamber of Commerce are so concerned
about corruption, I thought I would help them out by pointing out that in fact,
it’s not the labor unions that are corrupt. It’s their friends in corporate America who
seem to be in the most trouble recently for corruption. And since these
business associations are so interested in pointing out corruption, I thought
we could give them a hand and point out where the real corruption is occurring.

(Unless
this campaign isn’t about corruption at all? Unless it’s really about trying to
increase profits by attacking working families and unions?)

Workers' Rights Snubbed at MCC Board Meeting -- Colombia and Philippines Selected as Compact Eligible

December 16, 2008

Furthermore, the Colombian government has attempted to systematically undermine worker rights' by allowing businesses to take advantage of labor subcontracting and outsourcing schemes. Lack of regulation of company run "labor cooperatives" and subcontracting agencies have denied large numbers of workers the right to organize, bargain directly with their employers, and receive other benefits entitled to regular workers. Subcontracted Colombian sugar workers went on strike for 56 days, aiming to gain back their right to bargain collectively.

Blind Justice Gone Awry in the Philippines: "Please, no questions asked."

December 15, 2008

The case against Mr. Saladero and his fellow labor activists
carries all the hallmarks of political
prosecution, where prosecutors bring charges against political critics without
conducting any preliminary investigation or asking any questions.  Rather than operating independently as officers
of the court in pursuit of blind justice, the Government prosecutor in Mindoro
has blindly filed charges against the activists without conducting his own
independent investigation and without asking any questions at all about the
credibility of the only witness who allegedly places all 72 activists at the

Faith Leaders and the Republic Windows Victory

December 15, 2008

I can understand why those folks might be in a praying mood.

About
a week ago the owners of their company announced that they were closing
their doors for good, saying that orders for doors and windows had
dropped off. They gave their two hundred and fifty employees just three
days notice - even though the law requires sixty. They also withheld
the pay the workers had already earned, over a million dollars worth, I
am told.

The company claimed they couldn’t pay the workers
because their bank, Bank of America, refused to extend them any more
credit. Talk about adding insult to injury - this is the very same Bank
of America that had just been given 25 billion dollars of taxpayer
bailout money!

Japanese Autoworker Salaries in the US Should Equal Japanese Bankers Salaries in the US too

December 12, 2008

And Senator McConnell isn’t the only one. But if we are
going to focus on salaries, perhaps we should go back to the last bailout bill.
Have you ever wondered what Japanese bankers make?

According
to a November 28, 2008 Wall Street Journal Story, executives at banks in Japan make A LOT less than their US counterparts. The gap is huge, as Mitsubishi
UFJ Financial Group can attest. Japan's biggest bank by market
capitalization, paid a total of $8.1 million for 14 top executives in the
fiscal year ended March 31, according to a regulatory filing.

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