CARE2 : Slavery, Maternity Leave and more

End Slavery in the U.S. Tomato Industry                                     signatures: 18905 created by: sign now

Yahoo Increases Maternity Leave, but U.S. Still Hates Working Moms                                     A common refrain to explain the disparity of pay between women and men is that women leave to have babies. These babies grow up to be children, causing… read more

Prevent Wildfires With These 5 Important Tips                                     If you’re planning an outdoor excursion this year, here are some simple tips that will help you enjoy nature without causing a catastrophe. read more

150,000 People Forced to Flee As Devastating Floods Hit Mozambique                                     Humanitarian organization Concern Worldwide responds to the needs of people affected by this year’s floods in Mozambique. read more

Finally, Some Retailers Agree to Improve Sweatshop Conditions                                     Several major retailers (not Walmart, Target, Gap) have signed an accord for better safety conditions for workers in Bangladesh‘s garment industry. read more

World’s First Green Bank Loans $1 Billion in First Months                                     Over the years, “green” has become a ubiquitous and practically meaningless term. We’ve got everything from green dry cleaners to… read more

Jamie Choi – Avaaz.org

Hundreds of Bangladeshi women have been burned or crushed to death while making *our* clothes! In days, major fashion companies could sign an agreement that will either be a strong safety code or a weak PR ploy. If 1 million of us get the CEOs of GAP and H&M to back a life-saving code, the rest will follow:

We’ve all seen the horrific images of hundreds of innocent women burned or crushed to death in factories while making our clothes. In the next few days we can get companies to stop it happening again.
Big fashion brands source from hundreds of factories in Bangladesh. Two brands, including Calvin Klein, have signed a very strong building and fire safety pact. Others, led by Wal-Mart, have been trying to wriggle out of signing by creating a weak alternative that was pure PR. But the latest disaster has triggered crisis meetings and massive pressure to sign the strong version that can save lives.
Negotiations end in days. GAP and H&M are most likely to flip first to support a strong agreement, and the best way to press them is to go after their CEOs. If one million of us appeal directly to them in a petition, Facebook pages, tweets, and ads, their friends and families will all hear about it. They’ll know that their own and their companies’ reputations are on the line. People are being forced to make *our* clothing in outrageously dangerous buildings — sign on to make them safe, and forward this email widely:

https://secure.avaaz.org/en/crushed_to_make_our_clothes_dm_usa/?biEWLbb&v=24830

The recent tragic collapse fits a pattern. In the last few years, fires and other disasters have claimed a thousand lives and left many others too injured to work. Bangladesh’s government turns a blind eye to dismal conditions, allowing suppliers to cut costs to make clothes at a pace and price that global fashion giants expect. The big brands say they check up, but workers say  the companies’ own audits can’t be trusted.
The worker-backed safety agreement calls for independent inspections, public reports about supplier factory conditions, and mandatory repairs. It’s even enforceable in courts of the companies’ home countries! Full details of which companies were buying from the factory that collapsed weeks ago aren’t yet known, and there’s no evidence GAP or H&M did so. But workers have died in other GAP and H&M supplier factories in Bangladesh and getting them onboard now would put tremendous pressure on other companies to follow.
The companies are making up their minds right now. Let’s call on the CEOs of GAP and H&M to lead the industry by signing the safety plan. Sign your name then share this email widely — once we reach 1 million we’ll take out ads that they can’t miss:

https://secure.avaaz.org/en/crushed_to_make_our_clothes_dm_usa/?biEWLbb&v=24830

Time and time again, Avaaz members have come together to fight corporate greed and support human rights. Last year, we helped 100 Indian workers safely return home when a Bahraini corporation refused to let them leave. Let’s now take a stand to stop the deadly race to the bottom in factory safety.
With hope and determination,
Jamie, Jeremy, Alex, Ari, Diego, Marie, Maria-Paz, Ricken and the Avaaz team
PS –  Many Avaaz campaigns are started by members of our community! Start yours now and win on any issue – local, national or global:
http://www.avaaz.org/en/petition/start_a_petition/?bgMYedb&v=23917

MORE INFORMATION:
Collapse renews calls for safety agreement (Wall Street Journal)
http://blogs.wsj.com/indiarealtime/2013/04/25/bangladesh-deaths-renew-calls-for-safety-agreement/

15 May deadline set for Bangladesh safety plan (Industriall)
http://www.industriall-union.org/15-may-deadline-set-for-bangladesh-safety-plan

Western companies feel pressure as toll rises in Bangladesh (NBC News)
http://www.nbcnews.com/business/western-companies-feel-pressure-toll-rises-bangladesh-6C9624611

Avoiding the fire next time (The Economist)
http://www.economist.com/news/business/21577078-after-dhaka-factory-collapse-foreign-clothing-firms-are-under-pressure-improve-working

Bangladeshi garment factory death toll rises as owner arrested on border (The Guardian)
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/apr/28/bangladesh-garment-factory-collapse-owner-held

Bangladesh factory safety under scrutiny after collapse (CBC)
http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/story/2013/04/26/bangladesh-factory-building-safety.html

Hazardous workplaces: Making the Bangladesh Garment Industry Safe (Report, Clean Clothes campaign)
http://www.cleanclothes.org/resources/publications/2012-11-hazardousworkplaces.pdf/view

Walmart: Bah, humbug

We stand on the side of Walmart workers. Please share this image to show your support.

 

Just like the workers toiling thanklessly for Ebenezer Scrooge in Charles Dickens’ classic A Christmas Carol, Walmart employees are rewarded for their efforts with insults and disrespect.  Walmart’s notoriously poor wages and working conditions — designed to squeeze every last dollar of productivity out of its “associates” — mean workers struggle to survive on poverty wages while executives and the Walton family rake in record profits.¹

On Black Friday, workers across the country told Walmart loud and clear: enough is enough. Historic protests held at over 1,000 Walmart stores demonstrated the powerful need for real change at the company.²

You and nearly 55,000 ColorOfChange members are helping us take the fight for good jobs to the next level, by demanding that Walmart’s Board meet with workers and take immediate steps to improve working conditions. Now, with the holiday shopping season in full swing — and Walmart scrambling to avoid any more negative publicity³ — it’s time to further expose America’s biggest Scrooge.

Please share this image with your friends and family: show Walmart that we demand respect for all workers.

The odds are stacked against low wage workers — many of whom are Black women. Service sector jobs continue to dominate the post-recession labor market, and they’re not going anywhere.⁴ This is why it’s essential we make companies like Walmart a better place to work and shop.

At the end of A Christmas Carol, Scrooge learns the importance of treating people well, and if Walmart ever hopes to be embraced as a good company, it needs to learn the same lesson. Walmart can start by ensuring that its employees work reasonable hours, have adequate health care and can support their families.

Please share this Humbug image to show Walmart workers that you support them and their demands for respect in the workplace. And when you do, please ask your friends and family to do the same.

Thanks and peace,

– Rashad, Matt, Arisha, Aimée, Kim, Johnny and the rest of the ColorOfChange.org team     December 21st, 2012

P.S. Click here to download either the full-size version or the Facebook cover photo size of the image.

Help support our work. ColorOfChange.org is powered by YOU—your energy and dollars. We take no money from lobbyists or large corporations that don’t share our values, and our tiny staff ensures your contributions go a long way.

References

1. “Corporate Profits Just Hit An All-Time High, Wages Just Hit An All-Time Low,” Business Insider, 06-22-12
http://act.colorofchange.org/go/2021?t=7&akid=2762.1174326.evKS2S

2. “Walmart impoverishing and endangering workers,” The Hill, 12-07-12
http://act.colorofchange.org/go/2022?t=9&akid=2762.1174326.evKS2S

3. “Hold Walmart accountable to Black workers,” ColorOfChange.org, 11-15-12
http://act.colorofchange.org/go/2023?t=11&akid=2762.1174326.evKS2S

4. “A Fast Food Nation Fights for Living Wages — Against Long Odds,” Colorlines, 12-07-12
http://act.colorofchange.org/go/2024?t=13&akid=2762.1174326.evKS2S

Burma : Welcome to West Wing Week

 

West Wing Week: 11/22/12 or “Hello Burma!” bywhitehouse

Welcome to the West Wing Week, your guide to everything that’s happening at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. This week, the President made an historic trip to Thailand, Burma, and Cambodia, attended the East Asia Summit, and pardoned the National Thanksgiving Turkey at the White House with the First Family.

Black Friday …

 

NOTHING! PLEDGE TO BOYCOTT WAL-MART!Wal-mart workers routinely face unsafe working conditions, poverty-level low wages and intimidation and retaliation when attempting to speak-up or organize. This is why this Black Friday Wal-mart workers and their supporters are taking part in over 1,000 protests nationwide. These will include strikes, boycotts and direct actions to fight back against unfair and abusive labor practices. We need you to join in! Watch video and pledge to boycott Wal-Mart on Black Friday! Wal-mart workers are taking enormous risks in staging these actions and need your full support. Share this video and pledge with your family, friends and network. Together we can make an impact. Yours, Axel Caballero and the Cuéntame team. PS – Please help support our work. Cuéntame depends on your support to continue investigating issues and producing content. We are a non-profit and we take no money from the government, lobbyists, or corporations. You can contribute any amount here so we can continue to uncover stories that are important to you. Every dollar helps. Thanks!

Three people you should listen to

Hello –The conversations happening right now in Washington are going to set a course for the middle classin this country for years to come.And that’s a discussion that you should be part of. Unless our leaders can come up with a solution, 98 percent of American families are looking at a tax increase — with a typical family of four paying $2,000 more starting on January 1. So it’s time for you to step up. We know from experience that when real people come together to speak with one voice, their perspective becomes impossible to ignore. Here are three Americans who have taken that first step. Listen to them, then keep the conversation going by telling us why you think it’s important to keep taxes from going up on the middle class. Right now, there’s reason to be hopeful. This has the potential to be one of those moments in our politics when lawmakers from both parties come together to do what’s best for the country. You know where President Obama stands when it comes to tackling our nation’s deficits. He’s committed to doing it in a balanced way, but not at the expense of the middle class. Time and time again, he’s argued that we have to combine spending cuts with asking the wealthiest Americans to pay a little more in taxes. And leaders ranging from the heads of labor unions to the CEO of Walmart are saying that it doesn’t make sense to drag this out and leave the middle class uncertain about what they’ll be asked to pay in taxes. If that’s a position that you agree with, then we’re asking you to make a statement of your own. I can tell you that no one makes that argument better than real people who have to wrestle with paying bills and juggling family responsibilities every day. It’s on you to add your voice and bring your friends and neighbors into the debate. Watch this video, then tell us what you think: http://www.whitehouse.gov/engage/join Thanks, David David Plouffe Senior Advisor White House

First Lady Honors National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Award Recipients.

 

Twelve exemplary after-school and out-of-school arts and humanities program are honored by FIrst Lady Michelle Obama as recipients of the President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities Youth Program Awards. November 19, 2012.

President Obama Speaks at the University of Yangon

President Obama Speaks at the University of Yangon

bywhitehouse

On the first visit to Burma by an American president, President Obama speaks about the process of democratic reform in the country. November 19, 2012

Toxic T-shirts?

ZARA is using cancer causing chemicals and polluting the world’s waters. It’s time Zara cleaned up its act. Send a message now urging it to detox by 2020!

For months, Greenpeace conducted research into many of the world’s top clothing brands and found disturbing news — ZARA, along with several other retailers — is polluting waters in China with hazardous chemicals.

Those chemicals then wash into our waters when we rinse our clothes. Most of the fashion industry is treating public waterways like its own private sewers.

It’s time we eliminate hormone-disrupting chemicals from the world’s waters before it’s too late. That’s why we’re challenging some of the most popular clothing brands to eliminate toxic chemicals from its process by 2020 — and we need your help.

If 40,000 of us send a message to ZARA in the next 48 hours it will encourage the company to take the pledge to detox its clothing and stop the use of hazardous chemicals.

www.greenpeaceusa.org 

Let’s face it, beautiful fashion shouldn’t cause toxic pollution. H&M and British retailer Marks & Spencer know that. These companies have committed to eliminating all toxic chemicals from its supply chains and products. But ZARA, one of the world’s biggest fast fashion retailers, remains silent.

ZARA is famously responsive to trends and keeps a close watch on buzz about its brand. If all of us can pressure the company to follow in the footsteps of those who have committed to clean up its act, this is one trend it won’t be able to ignore.

We know it’s possible to clean up the toxics, we’ve seen it happen before. Thanks to you, the detox campaign secured commitments from Puma, Adidas and other sports apparel makers to clean up their practices and detox their line by 2020. So it can be done, but we’ll need your help.

Reach out to ZARA right now with an urgent message to clean up its practices and detox today.

 http://www.greenpeaceusa.org

As consumers your voice is critical to convincing ZARA and other companies to do the right thing. If the company responds the rest of the industry could follow, so it’s urgent we act now.

Thanks for your help,

John Deans
Greenpeace Toxics Campaigner

Always low prices. Not always sustainabl​e.

Safeway is offering responsibly fished canned tuna at a lower price than conventional brands like Chicken of the Sea. It’s time for Walmart to do the same. Take action and ask Walmart to start selling sustainably caught canned tuna. Walmart’s own brand of tuna might be low cost. But it comes at a high price to our oceans. That’s because what you’ll find inside a can of Walmart’s ‘Great Value’ tuna has been caught in the some of the most destructive ways imaginable. These destructive fishing practices unnecessarily kill tens of thousands of sharks, sea turtles, rays and other sea creatures every year. It doesn’t have to be this way — even for a company as big as Walmart. Safeway just recently began selling sustainably-sourced tuna under its own label on a national scale. This “Responsibly Caught” Safeway Select tuna also costs less than cans from major companies like Bumble Bee and Chicken of the Sea. We know it can be done and it’s time for Walmart to do the same thing. Help us send 30,000 messages to the company in the next 48 hours by taking action today. Take action and ask Walmart to start selling sustainably caught canned tuna. Walmart is such a large buyer that it could force the entire canned tuna industry to change. We’re talking about altering industrial fishing practices on the scale necessary to actually save our oceans. It’s what consumers want, and Safeway has already proven that it can be done in a cost-effective manner. Companies like Chicken of the Sea are blocking progress by wanting to continue with business as usual: yanking tuna out of our oceans by any means necessary and slaughtering anything else that gets in the way. Walmart has the power to get the tuna industry to clean up its act, but it is going to need to hear from the public first before it does anything. Destructive fishing practices are one of the biggest threats facing our oceans right now. The use of fish-aggregating devices (FADs) is particularly gruesome. FADs, which are basically floating objects placed in the ocean, don’t just attract tuna. They attract all sorts of life — including sharks, sea turtles and a bunch of other species. When the ship returns, it scoops up everything that has gathered around the FAD with a net. Hardly anything is spared in this process, and the crews just toss the lifeless remains of whatever they don’t want back into the ocean. Chicken of the Sea, Bumble Bee and Starkist all catch their tuna in this way. Safeway doesn’t. Hopefully, Walmart will follow their lead after they hear from enough people like you. For the oceans, Casson Trenor Greenpeace Senior Markets Campaigner