Blog

Zimbabwe Union Leader in DC Next Week

August 14, 2008

The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) has continued its solidarity with the workers of Southern Africa by organizing a march this Saturday at the Southern African Development Community (SADC) summit in Johannesburg to support democracy and human rights in Zimbabwe and Swaziland and to oppose Robert Mugabe and King Mswati III.  COSATU announced the plans for the march at a Zimbabwe/Swaziland Solidarity Conference they convened this past weekend.  They are also considering a boycott of goods destined for Zimbabwe and Swaziland in September. 

We Want More from Our S'mores!

August 7, 2008

If you live in the San Francisco area, join us at a Fair Trade S'mores Happy Hour on August 13th at 6PM at Dolores Park!

For people across the country, help us make hundreds or even thousands of
Fair Trade s'mores nationwide, just by choosing Fair Trade chocolate
for your barbeque, campfire, or at home.  Let your s'mores be counted!  Let us know that you are participating in the national action by registering your s'mores by clicking here.

Right to Strike Violated in South Korea; KCTU VP Arrested, Detained

August 6, 2008

The KCTU along with the Korean Metal Workers’ Union (KMWU) planned
a strike in protest of the factors mentioned above. When the Korean Government
heard about this action, however, the prosecutor and the Ministry of Labor deemed
it to be nothing but a “political strike” and thus illegal according to the
“obstruction of business provision in section 314 of the Penal Code.” Search
and arrest warrants were drawn up for key officials of the KMWU, KCTU, and
officers from the Hyundai Motor Branch. The Vice President of the KCTU, Ms. Jin
Young-ok, has already been arrested and detained!

Firestone Workers in Liberia Sign Historic Contract

August 6, 2008

Tim Newman, Campaigns Assistant, International Labor Rights Forum

Today in Liberia, the Firestone Agricultural Workers Union of Liberia (FAWUL) held a ceremony with Firestone management and Liberian Minister of Labor
Kofi Woods to sign their new collective bargaining agreement (CBA).  It has been
a long struggle for workers to achieve independent and democratically elected
union leadership and for the first time, they have a contract which was
bargained by a representative union. This is a major step forward for workers
who have been living and working in deplorable conditions for generations.

Globalization, the Environment and Workers

August 4, 2008

It's hard to say if increasing environmental and political concerns will result in significant changes in the way corporations are managing their supply chains.  Companies like Firestone are still planning to shut down plants in the US in order to search for cheaper labor costs.  However, if the trend toward moving production back closer to consumers develops, it could have major implications on workers around the world.  How could this effect workers in the Global South and will it benefit workers in the US or end up hurting them?  What do you think?

The battle over the Employee Free Choice Act

August 1, 2008

For some background, here is how the AFL-CIO sums up the Employee Free Choice Act:

[T]he current system for forming unions and bargaining is broken. Every
day, corporations deny workers the freedom to decide for themselves
whether to form unions to bargain for a better life. They routinely intimidate, harass, coerce and even fire workers who try to form unions and bargain for economic well-being.

 

NEW Firestone Campaign Video!

July 28, 2008

Tim Newman, Campaigns Assistant, International Labor Rights Forum

Check out the newest Stop Firestone campaign video by clicking here or watch it below.  The video is an interview conducted by Emira Woods, co-director of Foreign Policy in Focus at the Institute for Policy Studies, with Edwin Cisco, Secretary General of the Firestone Agricultural Workers of Liberia, and Christian Levesque of Conrad & Scherer.  Check it out and spread it around!  Don't forget to check out the Stop Firestone campaign website for more information and to take action.

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