Blog

Truck the GAP: Jeff the Trucker is a Better Symbol of America's Workers

November 3, 2008

Oak Harbor proposed raising many retirees' health premiums by $400
to $700 per month. Even though its workers' pension plan is already
substantially below industry standards, Oak Harbor also proposed
freezing contributions for five years. It sought to deny workers
overtime pay for weekend work on GAP business. It also insisted on
prohibiting union representatives from access to workers at their
workplaces.

Instead of negotiating with striking workers in good faith, Oak
Harbor, based in Aurora, Washington, has imported teams of professional
strikebreakers to coerce and scare loyal long-time employees.

A Brief Reminder: The Consumer’s Role in a Globalized Economy

November 1, 2008

But some of the students’ opinions were quickly quieted by the movie. In ‘A Tale of Two Mexicos,’ filmmakers ventured into the homes of factory workers and asked them to reveal their thoughts and experiences of life in the maquiladoras. Each of the workers explained that they had moved to the city for higher pay and job openings. Unfortunately, most to all of these job openings are in the sweatshops. The interviewees repeatedly complained that the nature of the sweatshops has broken down the social fabric of communities and reduced people to mere objects. Long work hours and overbearing management cause people’s lives to revolve around the factories, where they are dehumanized by constant labor.

Ex-slave in Niger wins landmark case

October 28, 2008

The ruling is important because it increases pressure on Niger to take stronger action to stop slavery and forced labor.  It also may encourage other West African nations, like Mali, to follow suit.  It is also exciting to see ECOWAS taking action to stop forced labor.

Romana Cacchiolo, Africa Program Coordinator for Anti-Slavery International, said: "This historic
verdict sets a legal precedent that we can take to neighbouring states where
slavery remains an issue. Niger
now needs to look closely at its customary law courts to ensure that there is
an end to the discrimination of women and to the acceptance of slavery at a
local level."

Inside the SweatFree Dallas Campaign

October 27, 2008

I’m a college student. At the last SweatFree Dallas meeting,
we emphasized the need for endorsements. Other campaign volunteers have
connections with local political and religious groups, but my strongest
affiliation is with my university. I emailed every cultural and religious
student organization at my university to ask for “just five minutes” at their
next meeting. Already many groups have said “yes,” and today I gave my first 5
minute speech, with several more to come in the next week.  I’m not a
terrible public speaker, but I tend to get pretty nervous. At this student
organization meeting, I felt more empowered than nervous. The audience at the

Advice for the Next Administration: Listen

October 24, 2008

Mr. Hakim and Ms. Sweig were among the skeptics of the panel who
addressed the limits to US policy in Latin America and the realities
that have to be dealt with before making general suggestions to the new
president.  Mr. Hakim urged everyone to consider the impact of the
current financial crisis on domestic economies of Latin America and
also on the effect of any policy directed toward these countries.  Many
currencies are falling drastically and, although we cannot know the
full extent of the financial crisis, it is more likely than not that
unemployment across Latin America will rise.  This will stress the
Venezuelan economy as the price of oil drops and, as Ms. Sweig pointed

Pages

Search form