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ILRF Statement Regarding Wal-Mart’s 2006 Ethical Standards Report

August 15, 2007

Several of the report’s
claims concerning improved supervision of supplier factories ring hollow. For example, responding to years of
complaints that Wal-Mart routinely alerts managers before it inspects factories,
the report applauds the company for raising the percentage of unannounced
audits to 26 percent of all audits in 2006. Yet this falls short of Wal-Mart’s goal of 30 percent for the year
(announced in its 2005 report) and is well below the percentage of audits that
are conducted unannounced by other companies, such as Reebok, which claimed 46
percent of its audits were unannounced in 2005. How much effort would it take for Wal-Mart to simply not alert its

Union Genocide

August 14, 2007

It
seems fair to say that the targeted killing of union members is different than
the targeted killing of a particular racial or ethnic group. Rather than perceiving the victim as
sub-human (as is seen in racial and ethnic “cleansing”), assassins of union
members are in the business of protecting economic interests. In Colombia, they are most often members of
paramilitary (about 41% in 2005, in cases where perpetrators were known) or
state (about 36% in 2005) forces who have some ideological or economic
arrangement with local company managers (the cooperation of the Colombian
government and US companies in these arrangements has gained extensive exposure

Firestone's sub-par score on human rights

August 9, 2007

For Bridgestone Americas, the tournament provided a key place to build relationships with new customers and suppliers as well as significant brand exposure (the company estimates over 700 million references to their name through the tournament's coverage in the media).  The tournament also showed Bridgestone/Firestone's increasing investment in golf.  They currently make golf balls (which contain rubber) and other related golf products.  As Bridgestone Americas Holdings, Inc.

The Great Debate

August 8, 2007

The AFL-CIO Blog has a number of posts about the debate.  The debate was also covered by several other media outlets.  Below are some of the articles.  For more on workers' rights issues in Chicago and how you can support workers at one factory there, check out this blog entry.

SEIU is sponsoring a campaign called Walk a Day in My Shoes where presidential candidates are asked to accompany SEIU members on the job and at home to see what it is really like for working families.  Check it out!

South Chicago Cygnus Strikers Producing Soap for Wal-Mart

August 7, 2007

This scenario reminds me that low pay and lack of job security is something workers everywhere face and I wonder what a company like Wal-Mart is doing to make sure their US soap factory workers are being treated fairly.  I applaud the efforts of IAM District 8 and stand in solidarity with the striking workers that have decided to stand up for their rights. I am also reminded that while Wal-Mart may have oodles of production in the global south, there are still workers in the US producing for Wal-Mart.

The workers are asking that we all do 3 things:

Playing Fair

August 7, 2007

You might remember that back in November, we highlighted Fair Trade Sports on our ethical gift guide.  Check out the complete list here!

ILRF has worked for years to stop child labor in the soccer ball industry.  In the 90's, we spearheaded the Foul Ball Campaign to call attention to the plight of thousands of children working in the stitched soccer ball industry in the Sialkot region of Pakistan.  An agreement was signed with a number of parties in 1997 to address the issue, but there have been reports that child labor has not been eliminated in the industry.

Melting Pot? More like a Cake with Pretty Sprinkles

August 6, 2007

Almost a hundred years later we
have another influx of immigrants. While the majority are Latinos; Asians and
Africans also make up are large percent of immigrants. But now the lid is on
the pot and Americans want no more immigrants. Many claim to only have an
aversion to those who circumvent the failing legal process for a more dangerous
desert route to the U.S.  But underlying that aversion is a dislike for anyone who has the audacity to
come to the melting pot and not be willing to drop their cultural identity to
get in. The focus is on Latinos, maybe because they are the majority or maybe
because they the non-English speaking brown people from the south. But

Firestone call-in day a success!

July 30, 2007

ILRF circulated two phone numbers for Firestone to our e-mail action list on the morning of the 26th.  The first goes directly to Adomitis' voicemail and the second is the general phone number for the Firestone Natural Rubber Company.  When Stop Firestone supporters called during noon and 2pm for the call-in day, they were greeted by a pre-recorded voicemail filled with Firestone's usual propaganda about how much they are helping Liberia.  Adomitis got quite an earful from all of our callers about how they will not give up until all the demands are met. 

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