AMERICAN LABOUR:

IN FLIGHT UNION BUSTING:

The following appeal is from the American Rights At Work organization.

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Take Action:

Tell US Airways to cut ties with anti-union consultants


Piedmont Airlines, a subsidiary of US Airways, is paying $375 per hour to the notorious unionbusting firm Labor Relations Institute (LRI) in a ploy to keep its workers from exercising their right to form a union.

Workers shouldn't face interference or coercion – Piedmont and US Airways should allow their workers to decide for themselves if they want to form a union.

Ask US Airways CEO Doug Parker to cut ties with LRI. It could make all the difference for workers at Piedmont.

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THE LETTER:

Please go to this link to send the following letter to US Airways management.

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It has come to my attention that one of your company's subsidiaries, Piedmont Airlines, has hired Labor Relations Institute (LRI), a notorious anti-union firm, to prevent its workers from organizing.

Your employees have worked hard to make your airline a success; they should be able to decide for themselves if they want to form a union -- without the outside interference and coercion from a firm like LRI.

Rather than spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on firms like LRI, you should invest in improving jobs and working conditions. That would help maintain a positive, productive relationship with your employees -- not the adversarial relationship created by hiring LRI.

I strongly urge you to cut ties with LRI and allow your employees to decide on their own whether to form a union. I hope to see swift action by your company to stop this unionbusting behavior.

Thank you.

AMERICAN LABOUR:

DO YOU COPY XEROX ?:

The following appeal for online solidarity with workers at the Xerox corporation comes from the American Rights At Work group.

XEXEXEXEXE

Tell Xerox to Stop Unionbusting and Shipping Jobs Overseas

Xerox recently told 19 workers they must transfer departments or leave the company.

What do these workers have in common? They're all fighting for a fair union contract.

While Xerox tramples on its workers' rights at home, Xerox's outsourcing division is trying to ship those jobs – and thousands of jobs like them – overseas.

Tell Xerox CEO Ursula Burns: Our economy needs good jobs, not unionbusting and outsourcing.
XEXEXEXEXE
THE LETTER:
Please go to this link to send the following message to Xerox managament.
XEXEXEXEXE
Our economy is in trouble. Xerox is making things worse by shipping jobs overseas and retaliating against its American workers who stand up for their rights.

Your company recently told nineteen union supporters at its Staten Island E-ZPass call and administrative center that they can either transfer, or lose their job.

Meanwhile, your $6 billion outsourcing division is shifting the jobs of hard working Americans overseas. Thousands of jobs have been moved to other countries.

Our economy needs good jobs - not unionbusting and outsourcing.

I urge you to stop Xerox's illegal and unethical conduct.

AMERICAN LABOUR:

CLEANUP WORKERS AT RISK:

Many have complained about excessive secrecy surrounding British Petroleum's cleanup efforts in the Gulf of Mexico. Besides simply restricting reportage, however, BP also calculates each and every item as to the "spin" that may result. Often decisions are made not because of efficacy or even human safety but rather because of the image they project. One of these is the decision to not issue proper safety gear to those involved in the cleanup. Here's a petition from the American Rights At Work group demanding that BP take the health of its temporary labour into consideration.

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Tell BP That Worker Health Comes Before PR!

More than 100 people in the Gulf have reported identical illnesses from BP's oil spill, and that doesn't include untold numbers of workers hiding their symptoms for fear of being fired by BP.

Yet despite clear evidence that cleanup workers are sick, BP won't provide respirators. Why not? For starters, BP is afraid that news footage of people wearing this critical safety equipment will show the public just how bad the spill is.

No amount of good PR is worth the health and lives of people battling BP's oil in the Gulf Coast.

Tell BP: Don't put PR above cleanup workers' health.

Sign the petition!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


"BP should take every possible step to keep cleanup workers safe, including providing and paying for the proper respirators needed to protect workers' lungs."



Your petition will be sent to:
BP CEO Tony Hayward
cc: OSHA Director David Michaels
cc: U.S. National Incident Commander Thad Allen
cc: U.S. Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis

AMERICAN LABOUR:

FIRE BLANKENSHIP:

Since the deaths of 29 West Virginia coal miners last month long standing extreme right wing activist Don Blankenship has continued on as the CEO of Massey Energy, the company whose lax safety measures led to the deaths. Next Tuesday various groups will converging at the annual shareholders' meeting of Massey in hopes of ousting him. Here's the story from the American Rights At Work group, along with an online petition that you can sign in support of the campaigners.

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FIRE DON BLANKENSHIP
Last month, 29 miners died in a tragedy that was completely preventable.

That should have been reason enough to fire CEO Don Blankenship immediately. But he's still at the helm of Massey Energy, and every day he stays on, he continues to endanger his workers.

So this Tuesday, at Massey's annual shareholder meeting, mineworkers, union leaders, and community leaders will be protesting Don Blankenship's callous disregard for human life.

We've put together a petition to send a strong message to Massey Energy shareholders and corporate leaders when they meet Tuesday. Can you help us collect at least 10,000 signatures by MIDNIGHT MONDAY?

Sign now: Tell Massey shareholders to fire Don Blankenship!

Don Blankenship's track record includes: ignoring safety regulations, intimidating workers, and spending millions to elect judges who will protect his interests. And he even helps lead the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in its anti-worker campaigns!1,2

He clearly put profits before safety. That should have been reason enough for Massey's board to find a new CEO.

But since the blood of 29 miners wasn't enough for Massey's board to take immediate action to fire him, hopefully the 30% drop in Massey's stock will give them another reason. That's right – Massey's stock is down more than 30% since the Upper Big Branch disaster, and Blankenship is still CEO.

That's why – in addition to hundreds of mine workers, union leaders, and allies – big institutional shareholders are speaking up, too. Will you add your voice?

Tell Massey shareholders: Do the right thing and fire Don Blankenship!

While firing Blankenship won't give even a measure of justice to the families who lost loved ones in this horrific tragedy, every day he stays as CEO is a slap in the face – a painful reminder of the human cost of corporate greed.

We can hold him accountable. Tell Massey Energy: Blankenship has to go!



Thanks so much for all you do for workers' rights.
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THE PETITION:
Please go to this link to add your name to the petition for the firing of Don Blankenship.
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The deadly explosion at the Upper Big Branch South Mine in Montcoal, WV, which took the lives of 29 coal miners and injured several others, was a preventable tragedy. It's time for Massey Energy shareholders to fire CEO Don Blankenship and replace him with a CEO who cares about workers' rights. In addition, the three Massey board members up for re-election should be defeated.

AMERICAN POLITICS:

STOP BANK FORECLOSURES:

There just might be something to the overused word "synchronicity". Just as I was about half way through the latest Time Magazine's four page on the Goldman Sach's company I look at the email and low and behold here it is. The following is a story and appeal from the American Rights at Work coalition. The appeal is a very personal one.

APAPAPAPAPAPAP

I'm afraid, anybody would be:‏
It's hard to say it. I'm afraid.

It hasn't always been this way. The day my husband and I bought our home was the happiest of my life. Even when my husband left me and my two sons eight years ago I wasn't scared. I simply worked harder and longer hours to pay the bills.

We made it work. Now Luis is 10 and Moises is 8, and they've grown up into little men in the same house for all these years.

But for the first time since the boys were born, I'm scared for all of us. The bank is threatening to sell our home, and even though we qualify for a loan modification which could solve everything, the bank just won't negotiate. It's terrifying. It shouldn't be this way. I need your help.

You can do something – something I can't do on my own. You can send a message to the people who manage my loan at Litton of Goldman Sachs, and you can tell them not to take my family's home away from us. Under president Obama's "Making Home Affordable" plan, my mortgage qualifies for a modification. All Litton of Goldman Sachs has to do is keep up their end of the president's plan – something they've already agreed to do but aren't doing – and whenever possible, modify loans to prevent foreclosing. Please click here if you can.

I want to make sure you know that I am someone who pays my bills. For eight years, I worked at the same job to pay the bills. Even with no child support coming in, I paid the bills. Then last year, the economy crashed and my hours were cut so much, I had to take another job. It wasn't enough, and I missed a payment on my mortgage. Just one payment.

Suddenly, Litton of Goldman Sachs raised my interest rates. It took me a little over a month to find another full-time job. My new job actually paid a little more than the one I had before, and I was hopeful. But the payment I missed was added to the next month's bill Litton of Goldman Sachs, which was $500 higher than it was before. The next month was even higher. After five months, I received notice of foreclosure.

That's when I turned to ACORN. ACORN has been working with families struggling to keep their homes through the foreclosure crisis. They told me about President Obama's "Making Home Affordable" plan, and they said that almost every firm in the country had signed on to the plan. Eventually, even Litton of Goldman Sachs – my bank – signed on to the plan. Under President Obama's plan, my loan is eligible for a modification which would allow my family to stay in the house and resume making payments at a reasonable rate.

But the bad news is that Litton of Goldman Sachs refuses to keep their word – and they refuse to modify my loan, even though it is eligible. When you help me and my family today, you will also help other families who are in my same situation.

Please, take just one minute to tell Litton of Goldman Sachs to put a moratorium on home foreclosures and to negotiate a loan modification with me before my sons are forced out of the only home they've ever known.

I can't thank you enough.
Sincerely,
Maria Morales
Proud Mother of Luis and Moises

APAPAPAPAPAPAP

THE LETTER:

Please go to THIS LINK to send the following letter to management at Goldman Sachs.

APAPAPAPAPAPAP

I'm encouraged that Litton of Goldman Sachs has signed on to President Obama's "Making Home Affordable" plan. But I'm disappointed to learn that you're not following through with the plan by stopping the foreclosure process when qualifying homeowners request loan modification. These homeowners -- like Maria Morales, a hardworking mother of two who may lose her home as soon as early September -- need your help. Don't sell Maria's home; negotiate a loan modification with her.

Homeowners like Maria Morales need you to do what you promised to do when you signed on to the plan. Start today by placing a moratorium on all home foreclosures until you fully assess your portfolio for modification-eligible loans.

Let's be clear -- these aren't people who are asking for a free ride. They want to pay their bills -- and they qualify for loan modification under President Obama's plan. But unless you halt the foreclosure process while you review their cases, many of these homeowners and their families will end up without a roof over their heads.

When Litton of Goldman Sachs signed the "Making Home Affordable" plan, you agreed not to foreclose on homeowners who request loan modification until you've had the chance to review their situation. So I'm writing now to ask that you keep your word and hold up your end of the plan -- sit down and negotiate with Maria Morales, and place a moratorium on all home foreclosures until you can asses the details and make modifications for other homeowners who are eligible, like Maria.

It's what you said you were going to do -- and it's the right thing to do.
Thank you for your time.
Sincerely,

AMERICAN LABOUR-CALIFORNIA:

TELL RITE-AID TO DO RIGHT:

The following appeal is from the American Rights at Work Coalition, and it's about the stubborn anti-union tactics of the American pharmacy chain Rite-Aid. Workers at their warehouse in Lancaster California have unionized, but the company has continued to stall and pig-headedly refuses to bargain in good faith. Here's the story and appeal from the American Rights at Work group.

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Tell Rite Aid: it's personal:‏
Tell Rite Aid: You're right, it's personal.
Rite Aid’s workers won an uphill battle to form their union, but now Rite Aid has delayed their negotiations for over a year.

You can help Rite Aid workers fight back.
Tell CEO Mary Sammons to stop delaying union negotiations.

You've seen it on TV. Smiling customers, happy employees, and the slogan: "Rite Aid. With us, it's personal."

Well here's what we take personally...

Rite Aid's employees faced a campaign of misinformation and intimidation for trying to form a union. After two years, they finally formed their union, but the company has stalled contract negotiations for over a year.

Rite Aid employees have been working non-stop to get their company to do the right thing, But they need our help to break this damaging stalemate.

Let's make it impossible for Rite Aid to ignore their workers any longer: Write CEO Mary Sammons right now.

Here's what's happening...

Rite Aid employees in Lancaster, CA, decided they wanted to form a union to improve working conditions, like sweltering heat in their warehouse. Rite Aid's response was to oppose the union. Workers reported they were threatened and intimidated, and some were even fired for supporting the union!

The federal government stepped in and prepared to charge Rite Aid with 49 labor law violations. But because Congress hasn't yet passed protections like the Employee Free Choice Act, Rite Aid has been able to repeatedly break the law, facing little more than a slap on the wrist.

The workers thought they finally had prevailed in March 2008 when they successfully voted to form a union. But Rite Aid refused to negotiate seriously with them, instead bringing in a notorious anti-union consulting firm to try and fight the workers!

These workers are paying the price for Rite Aid's delay tactics every day. Please, tell Rite Aid execs to bargain fairly with their workers!

American Rights at Work is pulling out all the stops to enact the Employee Free Choice Act, which would hold companies accountable for anti-union tactics like these. But until we pass that law, Rite Aid workers will need your help.
Thanks for all that you do.
Sincerely,
Liz, Manny, Elizabeth B. and the American Rights at Work team

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The Letter:

Please go to THIS LINK to send the following letter to Rite Aid management.

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As a consumer who cares about working people, I am deeply troubled by reports that Rite Aid has used stalling tactics in its contract negotiations with workers at its distribution center in Lancaster, CA.

Interfering with workers' attempts to improve their lives and working conditions is wrong. Rite Aid has received big tax breaks, and promised good jobs, to locate in Lancaster. The public expects better.

I want Rite Aid to immediately reach an agreement with its workers. This is very important to me as a consumer. While I have heard things have improved somewhat thanks to their efforts and to the help of a mediator, I'm deeply disappointed that it has gone on for this long.

I plan to share the news of Rite Aid's treatment of its workers with my friends, co-workers, and members of the community. Your workers deserve to have a voice at work, and I firmly believe that they will use that voice to make the company better.

Again, I urge you to immediately reach a first union contract with your workers in Lancaster.
Respectfully,

AMERICAN LABOUR:

RETURN OF ONE MEAN TACO:

A little while ago Molly blogged on the case of Chipotle and their connection to the exploitation of farmworkers in the USA. Here's another communication from the American Rights at Work group, asking for more pressure on the company.

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MORE PRESSURE ON CHIPOTLE:

Since we wrote to you a few weeks ago, more than 10,000 activists have urged Chipotle to stand up for exploited Florida farmworkers.

Momentum is building. People around the country have been calling on Chipotle to live up to its “food with integrity” promise – and now they’ve taken their demands to the streets, protesting in front of film screenings sponsored by Chipotle.

Can you back them up by sending a quick email to Chipotle’s management?
Urge Chipotle to make "food with integrity" truly fair food.

Here’s what’s happening: hoping for a bit of good publicity, Chipotle has been sponsoring screenings of Food, Inc., a new documentary about injustices in the food system.

It's a good film – but Chipotle doesn’t seem to be getting the film’s message. It has refused to join in a formal agreement with the Coalition of Immokalee Workers – a widely respected farmworker organization – to improve the rights and working conditions of the Florida farmworkers who pick many of its tomatoes. These farmworkers have one of the worst jobs in America, with sub-poverty wages, back-breaking labor, and unimaginable exploitation.

Activists have been demonstrating outside Chipotle’s movie screenings to point out the hypocrisy. Chipotle has tried to stop the message from spreading – even going so far as to remove volunteers from tables they’ve reserved at the screenings!

Chipotle is digging in its heels. We’ve got to keep the pressure on.
Tell Chipotle to help end the exploitation today!

More than two dozen leading writers, organizers, filmmakers, and farmers – including the director of the documentary Chipotle is sponsoring – have signed an open letter calling on Chipotle to do the right thing and use its influence to protect farmworkers’ rights.
Please join them by adding your name to the petition.

Chipotle can't have it both ways. The company can't claim to stand for "food with integrity" while ignoring worker exploitation in its supply chain. We're going to keep turning up the heat until Chipotle lives by its own "food with integrity" pledge.
Thanks you for all that you do.
Sincerely,
Liz, Manny, Elizabeth B., and the American Rights at Work team

P.S. Click here to check out the open letter signed by two dozen leaders of the sustainable food movement – including the director of the new documentary about injustice in the food system. Then, add your name.

P.P.S. Be sure to forward this message to all your friends and family so they know what Chipotle's up to. The best way to make sure Chipotle does the right thing is to spread the word as widely as possible.

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THE PETITION:

Please go to THIS LINK to sign the following online petition to Chipotle.

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We write with admiration for your efforts to create a socially just and environmentally responsible restaurant chain. We applaud your goal of sourcing "food with integrity," food that's "unprocessed, seasonal, family-farmed, sustainable, nutritious, naturally raised, added hormone free, organic, and artisanal." Chipotle points the way to a new business model for national-scale restaurant chains: rather than scouring the globe for the cheapest commodities, restaurants should source in a region-appropriate way - bolstering and not undercutting regional food production networks.

Yet for us, naturally raised meat - important as it is - does not trump decently treated human beings. We are outraged by the working and living conditions in the Immokalee area of Florida, source of some 90 percent of the winter tomatoes consumed in the United States. We see Immokalee as a stark example of the vast power discrepancies in our food system. In the winter-tomato market, a small number of very large buyers dictate terms to the seven or eight entities that control land in tomato country; those growers, in turn, squeeze the workers in brutal fashion. Real wages have fallen dramatically in Immokalee over the decades and now hover well below poverty level; housing conditions would not be out of place in apartheid-era South Africa. These are the normal conditions experienced by thousands of workers in south Florida. No one can be surprised that in some extreme cases, right now, some of the people who pick our tomatoes are living in what can only be called modern-day slavery: held against their will and forced to harvest tomatoes without pay. In this context, Chipotle cannot claim the same integrity for the tomatoes it serves as it does for its meat, much less guarantee its customers that the tomatoes in its burritos were not picked by slaves.

We realize that Chipotle has announced that it's paying an extra penny per pound for tomatoes, but we have to ask: What has Chipotle done since that announcement to identify and cultivate growers who are willing to raise their labor standards and pass the penny along to their workers? Your company has shown admirable leadership in working with - and incubating - meat suppliers willing to meet your higher standards. But your failure to do that same hard work in the Florida tomato industry - together with the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW) - threatens to render your announcement an empty gesture aimed more at public relations damage control than an effort to make real change.

We view the CIW's struggle for dignity as a non-negotiable part of the struggle for a sustainable food system. Therefore, we strongly urge you to enter into an agreement with this worker-led organization that has been fighting tirelessly to improve conditions in tomato country since 1993. As you know, the Florida Tomato Growers Exchange has acted to block the penny-per-pound raise agreed to by McDonald's, Yum Brands, Burger King and others, by threatening to fine any grower who cooperates with the buyers and the CIW. The extra penny paid out by these companies now sits in an escrow account, and workers in the fields continue making the same dismal wage. The growers clearly fear the power tomato pickers have galvanized through the efforts of the CIW and Chipotle's refusal to sign an agreement with the CIW only bolsters the growers' intransigence.

Last month, another national-scale food company with a social mission, Bon Appetit, signed a far-reaching deal with CIW that goes well beyond the penny per pound raise. We urge you to study the CIW-Bamco agreement and step up your efforts to identify growers - big or small - who will work with you to make "food with integrity" truly "fair food."

If Chipotle is sincere in its wishes to reform its supply chain, the time has come to work with the Coalition of Immokalee Workers as a true partner in the protection of farmworkers rights.
Respectfully,

AMERICAN LABOUR:

THAT'S ONE MEAN TACO:

The following comes Molly's way from the American Rights at Work coalition.

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"Food with integrity.":
That's what Chipotle – America's fastest-growing fast-food restaurant – vows to serve in its restaurants.

Tell that to the Florida farmworkers who pick many of Chipotle's tomatoes. They have one of the worst jobs in America, with sub-poverty wages, back-breaking labor, and unimaginable exploitation.

Click here to urge Chipotle's CEO Steve Ells take a stand for Florida farmworkers.

In spite of its "food with integrity" pledge condemning the "exploitation of animals, farmers, or the environment," Chipotle refuses to partner with the Coalition of Immokalee Workers, which represents farmworkers, to help improve their working conditions.

More than two dozen leading writers, organizers, filmmakers, and farmers have called on Chipotle to do the right thing. The list includes Eric Schlosser, writer and director of Fast Food Nation; Frances Moore Lappe, author of Diet for a Small Planet; and Robert Kenner, director of the new hard-hitting documentary Food, Inc.

Add your name: Call on Chipotle to partner with Florida farmworkers and end the exploitation.

In the past, American Rights at Work activists helped put pressure on big companies like McDonald's, Burger King, and the parent company of Taco Bell, KFC, and Pizza Hut – convincing them to commit to a raise for Florida farmworkers: an extra penny per pound of picked tomatoes.

Chipotle has also agreed to pay an extra penny per pound. Now, with your help, we can achieve an even greater victory: a huge chain pushing for real justice for these workers.

Tell Chipotle to live up to its promise and partner with the Florida farmworkers in its supply chain.

The average farmworker puts in a 10 hour day in the scorching Florida sun and must pick two and a half TONS of produce a day to earn $50 – that's only $10,000 per year. As major buyers, companies like Chipotle have a responsibility to exert their influence and give a fair deal to the workers who help boost their bottom lines.

End the exploitation: tell Chipotle's CEO to partner with Florida farmworkers now! Then, ask all your friends to do the same.
Thanks you for all that you do.
Sincerely,
Liz Cattaneo

American Rights at Work

http://www.americanrightsatwork.org/
P.S. Click here to check out the open letter signed by two dozen leaders of the sustainable food movement demanding that Chipotle be "a true partner in the protection of farmworkers' rights." Then, add your name.

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THE LETTER:

Click on one of the links above or CLICK HERE to sign the following open letter to Chipotle CEO Steve Ells.

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We write with admiration for your efforts to create a socially just and environmentally responsible restaurant chain. We applaud your goal of sourcing "food with integrity," food that's "unprocessed, seasonal, family-farmed, sustainable, nutritious, naturally raised, added hormone free, organic, and artisanal." Chipotle points the way to a new business model for national-scale restaurant chains: rather than scouring the globe for the cheapest commodities, restaurants should source in a region-appropriate way - bolstering and not undercutting regional food production networks.

Yet for us, naturally raised meat - important as it is - does not trump decently treated human beings. We are outraged by the working and living conditions in the Immokalee area of Florida, source of some 90 percent of the winter tomatoes consumed in the United States. We see Immokalee as a stark example of the vast power discrepancies in our food system. In the winter-tomato market, a small number of very large buyers dictate terms to the seven or eight entities that control land in tomato country; those growers, in turn, squeeze the workers in brutal fashion. Real wages have fallen dramatically in Immokalee over the decades and now hover well below poverty level; housing conditions would not be out of place in apartheid-era South Africa. These are the normal conditions experienced by thousands of workers in south Florida. No one can be surprised that in some extreme cases, right now, some of the people who pick our tomatoes are living in what can only be called modern-day slavery: held against their will and forced to harvest tomatoes without pay. In this context, Chipotle cannot claim the same integrity for the tomatoes it serves as it does for its meat, much less guarantee its customers that the tomatoes in its burritos were not picked by slaves.
We realize that Chipotle has announced that it's paying an extra penny per pound for tomatoes, but we have to ask: What has Chipotle done since that announcement to identify and cultivate growers who are willing to raise their labor standards and pass the penny along to their workers? Your company has shown admirable leadership in working with - and incubating - meat suppliers willing to meet your higher standards. But your failure to do that same hard work in the Florida tomato industry - together with the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW) - threatens to render your announcement an empty gesture aimed more at public relations damage control than an effort to make real change.




We view the CIW's struggle for dignity as a non-negotiable part of the struggle for a sustainable food system. Therefore, we strongly urge you to enter into an agreement with this worker-led organization that has been fighting tirelessly to improve conditions in tomato country since 1993. As you know, the Florida Tomato Growers Exchange has acted to block the penny-per-pound raise agreed to by McDonald's, Yum Brands, Burger King and others, by threatening to fine any grower who cooperates with the buyers and the CIW. The extra penny paid out by these companies now sits in an escrow account, and workers in the fields continue making the same dismal wage. The growers clearly fear the power tomato pickers have galvanized through the efforts of the CIW and Chipotle's refusal to sign an agreement with the CIW only bolsters the growers' intransigence.





Last month, another national-scale food company with a social mission, Bon Appetit, signed a far-reaching deal with CIW that goes well beyond the penny per pound raise. We urge you to study the CIW-Bamco agreement and step up your efforts to identify growers - big or small - who will work with you to make "food with integrity" truly "fair food."





If Chipotle is sincere in its wishes to reform its supply chain, the time has come to work with the Coalition of Immokalee Workers as a true partner in the protection of farmworkers rights.
Respectfully,
ALALALALALAL
MORE:
The main force behind the drive to improve conditions of farm labour in Florida is the Coalition of Immokalee Workers. Here is more from their website about the hypocrisy of Chipotle.
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HYPOCRISY AND CHIPOCRICY:
Dictionary:
hy·poc·ri·sy
1. The practice of professing beliefs, feelings, or virtues that one does not hold or possess; falseness.
Dictionary:
Chi·poc·ri·sy...
6/22/09: The phenomenon known as "Chipocrisy" was in the news this past week, beginning with the June 15th open letter by more than two dozen leading sustainable food activists calling on Chipotle to live up to its claims of "Food with Integrity" and "work with the Coalition of Immokalee Workers as a true partner in the protection of farmworkers' rights."





But it didn't stop there. Also last week, the ABC news show "Nightline" did a piece on Chipotle's relationship with Polyface Farms, a model sustainable farm in Virginia that, in the words of owner Joel Salatin, "fully respects and honors the pigness of the pig." (Believe it or not these flac runners say things like this all the time with a totally straight face-Molly)





In the same Nightline story, Chipotle CEO Steve Ells professed, "I think it's really important that people know where their food comes from. I mean we spend a lot of time researching the very best sources, so that when people go to Chipotle, they can rest assured they are getting the very best food."





Really? The Nightline piece, while valuable for shedding light on Mr. Salatin's admirable operation, was incomplete, and therefore deeply flawed. By allowing Mr. Ells to effectively direct the spotlight, the story revealed only that part of Chipotle's supply chain that the company wished to showcase, creating the impression of an ethical restaurant company that indeed earns its claim to "Food with Integrity."





If, however, Nightline had only turned that same spotlight on the fields where Chipotle's tomatoes are picked, perhaps it would have found that the "humanness" of the men and women who pick those tomatoes isn't afforded the same honor or respect.





This might be a good moment to quote a relevant passage from last week's impeccably-timed sustainable food movement letter to Mr. Ells:





"... (F)or us, naturally raised meat – important as it is – does not trump decently treated human beings... Your company has shown admirable leadership in working with – and incubating – meat suppliers willing to meet your higher standards. But your failure to do that same hard work in the Florida tomato industry – together with the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW) – threatens to render your announcement an empty gesture aimed more at public relations damage control than an effort to make real change."

Chipotle's failure to live up to the virtues it professes to hold dear was not lost, however, on one Denver-based blogger last week. Writing on the Denver Fair Food blog, "Robert" noted that, on its corporate website, Chipotle strongly recommends that its customers read Eric Schlosser's hard-hitting analysis of the fast-food industry's ills, "Fast Food Nation". The contradiction was too much to stomach for the Fair Food blogger, who undoes Chipotle's claims to sustainability using a series of quotes by none other than Mr. Schlosser himself. His conclusion is withering, and it shall be our conclusion here as well:





"... It’s abundantly obvious. Quoting Eric again: 'the exploitation of farm workers should not be tolerated in Florida. It should not be tolerated anywhere in the United States. There are many social problems that are extremely difficult to solve. This is not one of them.' Plain and simple, the solution is for Chipotle to work in partnership with the CIW. That’s been Eric’s demand of fast-food companies for a long time and that’s his demand explicitly of Chipotle today.





It’s funny really, Chipotle isn’t listening to the guy that Chipotle recommends everyone listen to. Chipotle’s “further reading” is demanding that Chipotle go further, and yet Chipotle refuses to take its own advice. This is a phenomenon that’s become so common place we have a name for it: Chipocrisy.
That’s the thing about further reading – sometimes you end up eating your words."
Read the Denver Fair Food blog post in its entirety here.

AMERICAN POLITICS/AMERICAN LABOUR:

WAVING GOODBYE TO ELAINE CHAO:

The clock is ticking down on the final days of the Bush Administration. If all the compromising documents haven't been shredded and all the suspicious emails haven't been deleted by now it's probably too late. The following from the American Rights at Work is a rather gloating request, but its target probably deserves such a treatment. Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao has presided over some of the most anti-worker actions that an American government has ever undertaken. The ARaW wants you to give her a sarcastic sendoff. Sort of like waving bye bye to the pieces after you've had hemorrhoid surgery. Here's the skivvy.

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Say "Ciao" to Chao:‏


Ciao, Secretary Chao!

We can't let Elaine leave the Labor Department without sending along our parting thoughts.
Click here to send your heartfelt retirement card.
You and Elaine Chao go way back. So many memories...

Like the time your "Shame on Elaine" emails and phone calls emboldened whistleblowers within the Department of Labor. Or, who can forget Elaine's questionable handling of mine safety and her gutting of workplace safety regulations?

Remember Elaine's birthday? When her palace guards wouldn't let us drop off stacks of petitions 25,000 of you signed urging her to protect workers' rights, because we were supposedly a security threat?

Elaine certainly hasn't forgotten your efforts. In yesterday's USA Today she offers a (weak) "'thank you,' to [my] critics for exercising their constitutional right to speak out."¹ In fact, the article mentions American Rights at Work as holding her to task for her support of corporate interests over workers' rights. But now it's time to say goodbye, because, on January 20, Elaine Chao will no longer be the Secretary of Labor (sniff, sniff).

Take a moment to send a retirement card that lets Elaine know how you really feel.

Leave it to the Bush administration to retain one of its absolute worst Cabinet members till the bitter end. Elaine is still trying to defend her tenure, even boasting about "her record in improving health and safety."¹ But you know Secretary Chao has set back decades of progress at the Department of Labor by stonewalling investigations, embracing corporate special interests, and showing general contempt for working families.

We can't undo Elaine's damage overnight – it will take long enough just to remove all the pictures of Elaine hung throughout the Department of Labor interiors! But thankfully we can all have hope that, under incoming Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis, we will raise the minimum wage, protect workers' rights, safety, and economic security, and pass the Employee Free Choice Act.
But it would be a shame to give the outgoing Secretary anything but a ‘proper sendoff.'

Click here to say "Ciao" to Secretary Chao. Take action now to make sure your note gets to her before she leaves office on January 20.

And since we want the departing Secretary's mailbox to be overflowing, don't forget to pass this message along to friends and family – ask them to send their best retirement wishes to Elaine as well.

Thanks for keeping Elaine in your thoughts. I know how much the Secretary will appreciate hearing from you one last time!
Sincerely,
Liz Cattaneo

American Rights at Work

www.AmericanRightsatWork.org

P.S. Want to relive the Chao administration all over again? Can't remember exactly how many safety recommendations she failed to implement? Visit www.shameonelaine.org to read all about Elaine's dismal tenure as Labor Secretary.

AMERICAN LABOUR:

SUPPORT WORKERS AT NIKE DISTRIBUTOR:

Very few companies have been so successful in the cotton candy world of selling a name rather than quality than the Nike Corporation. Nike has tried to distance itself from its image of being a sweatshop buyer from shops abroad, but in the USA itself its supply chain leaves much to be desired in terms of fairness to labour. Here's the story of one such instance from the American Rights at Work group, and what you can do to help out the workers affected.

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Nike turns a blind eye:‏
From:
Liz Cattaneo,

American Rights at Work

(action@americanrightsatwork.org )
For mega-retailer Nike, workers' rights are taking a back seat to holiday profits.
This holiday, take a stand for the truckers who help keep Nike running!

When it comes to protecting workers' rights, it's time for Nike to stop talking about it and just do it.

Nike is one of the world's largest retailers – raking in billions in profits – but the truckers who haul all their sneakers to JCPenney say they have faced unfair working conditions including intimidation during contract negotiations and rising healthcare premiums.

Nike won't join other leading retailers in defending these workers, but you can.
Stand up for the drivers who ship for Nike – demand fairness TODAY!

Over 500 employees of Oak Harbor Freight Lines – the company that ships merchandise for Nike and Ralph Lauren to JCPenney – are on strike.

They're taking a stand against on-the-job abuses, including an outrageous proposal to cancel health coverage for retired employees, cut paid sick days and overtime pay for current employees, and reduce pension benefits.

But rather than negotiate in good faith, this shipping company has hired a notorious strike-breaking firm to strong-arm workers into giving up. What's more, the subcontractor reportedly recruited disadvantaged drivers from the south as replacement workers, promising them high wages and stable employment, then fired them when local employees became available.

Nike pretends to be an advocate for workers' rights – working hard to shed its association with sweatshops abroad – but hasn't stood up for these American drivers.
Show Nike that protecting America's workers is the right thing to do this holiday season. Take action today!
Thanks for all that you do.
Sincerely,
Liz Cattaneo

American Rights at Work

http://www.americanrightsatwork.org/

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WHAT YOU CAN DO: Please go to THIS LINK to send the following letter to Nike management.

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THE LETTER:

As an activist who cares about the way a company treats its employees, I wanted to let you know how upset I was to hear how the company that ships Nike's merchandise to JCPenney, Oak Harbor Freight Lines, has been treating its striking workers.

Rather than respond to employee concerns by negotiating in good faith, Oak Harbor has chosen to import teams of professional strikebreakers to coerce and scare loyal long-time employees.




People should be able to work in an atmosphere free of bullying, harassment and fear.




More and more, employers understand the value and importance of fair and respectful labor practices. Other Oak Harbor customers have chosen to respect the rights of these truckers, and I hope you will, too.




I urge you to stand up and ensure Oak Harbor employees get the dignity and respect they deserve, and the fair pay and benefits they've earned for a job well done.

AMERICAN LABOUR:

AMERICAN IDOL SWEATSHOP:

The following appeal for solidarity is from the American Rights at Work group. It's all about one of the great time wasters and profit makers in the USA today, the television show 'American Idol'. Turns out the idol has feet of clay. See the story below.

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When it comes to respecting workers, America's favorite TV show is way off-key.:

American Idol brings in $200 million in profits annually. But some of the people who help produce it are taking home as little as $4.50 an hour. That's below minimum wage.

What's more, some report working 15-20 hours a day, seven days a week – even going without overtime pay and breaks for rest or meals.

American Idol won't respect basic workers' rights protected by law. Tell American Idol it's time to change their tune – and give workers what the law requires.

Justin Buckles worked for FremantleMedia, the company that produces American Idol:
"When I was hired I was told to expect to work 12 hour days. What I wasn't told was that it would actually be 15 to 20 hour days, many times working 7 days a week."

When Justin calculated all the hours he worked, his hourly rate was less than $4.50 an hour. And when he mentioned a raise:

"I was threatened with losing my job, told that I was replaceable, and that I'd be blacklisted from working on any other show if I spoke out."

Justin doesn't stand alone – a group of employees recently said they are owed more than $250,000 in overtime pay. Health coverage is a pipe dream. Writers and some production staff aren't protected by a union, as they are on other shows.

These aren't isolated incidents. They're part of a pattern at the massively popular TV shows produced by Fremantle, which is now under investigation for these abuses. Again and again, workers have been denied basic benefits that are standard in the industry thanks to unions – minimum compensation, health insurance, and retirement packages.

Please contact American Idol and tell them it's time to start singing a different tune!

After you send your message, please ask your friends and family to do the same.

$200 million in profits isn't chump change. American Idol can clearly afford to treat its workers better. It doesn't have to be this way.

Thank you for taking action on behalf of these workers!
Sincerely,
Liz Cattaneo

American Rights at Work

http://action.americanrightsatwork.org/ct/wpc5vGs18qT1/

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THE LETTER:

Please click on the link above to send the following letter to management of American Idol:

As a concerned member of the public, I am writing to let you know that I support Fremantle writers and other workers who help make your programs, including American Idol, such a success. I strongly believe Fremantle should properly recognize the contribution of its employees by providing them with industry standard benefits.

As the producer of the most popular show on television, Fremantle has the responsibility and the means to provide industry standard benefits to these workers. With the success of American Idol and other hit shows, you should be able to provide benefits like portable health insurance and a pension plan.

It is time for Fremantle to do the right thing. Don't be unfair to your workers by withholding overtime pay, or failing to provide meal breaks and industry standard benefits.

AMERICAN LABOUR:

SUPPORT THE 'EMPLOYEE FREE CHOICE ACT':

The following is an appeal from the American Rights at Work coalition. This group is pretty much an emanation of "official labour" in the USA, with all that that implies. In particular it implies that they have an over reliance upon "official" dictates and "government policy" and an under reliance(and often a justified fear-from their point of view- of) upon self directed movements of ordinary people. All that being said the "legislative climate" in which organization amongst ordinary people takes place does have an influence on how difficult it is to do such organizing. Legislation such as the union supported 'Employee Free Choice Act' would help to level the playing field as workers attempt to gain what is rightfully theirs. It therefore deserves support. The following is for our American readers.

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Strength in numbers‏

It's all about strength in numbers:
A million voices for the Employee Free Choice Act... and millions more workers joining unions and raising living standards for all of us.
Sign the petition!

Who’s losing out in this sputtering economy?
Not corporate CEOs. Too many of them have made sure to secure a golden parachute for themselves while workers face soaring health care costs, foreclosures, and an uncertain future.

The Employee Free Choice Act would help level the playing field and get our economy back on track. That's why we've launched a huge campaign to get one million people to support this bill and tell Congress it’s time for change!

Sign the petition - we're already at 20,695 signatures and we think we can reach 30,000 by Monday! We need you to be one of them.

The Employee Free Choice Act would give more workers the chance to negotiate for better benefits, wages, and working conditions by forming unions.

And that will help all of us. There's strength in numbers, and as we build our collective muscle, we can raise living standards, improve health care, and stop corporate America's race to the bottom.

But some CEOs try to stop unions, preventing their workers from negotiating a contract. In fact, 30% of corporations fire pro-union workers during union organizing drives.1 Of course, no CEO would agree to work without a contract. So why can’t their workers have the same rights?

It’s time to bring back some fairness. That's why we need one million voices supporting the Employee Free Choice Act. But a million people is a LOT of people. We won't reach our goal without YOUR friends and family.

Do you support this bill? Take one minute to sign our petition. Upload a photo while you're at it!

Anti-union groups are mounting a campaign to fight this bill. We can’t match our opponents dollar-for-dollar, but we can prevail if enough people rally to this important cause.

The economy should work for all of us, not just the privileged few. We can get there with your help.

Sincerely,
Liz Cattaneo

American Rights at Work

www.AmericanRightsatWork.org

P.S. To learn more about the Employee Free Choice Act, click here.

1 Chirag Mehta and Nik Theodore, Undermining the Right to Organize: Employer Behavior During Union Representation Campaigns, Center for Urban Economic Development, University of Illinois at Chicago, Dec. 2005.

AMERICAN LABOUR:

VICTORY FOR AMERICAN FARM WORKERS:

After a long and hard fought campaign on the part of both the workers involved and their supporters Burger King has agreed to give Florida farmworkers one penny per pound more for picked tomatoes. here is the announcement from Labour Start and the American Rights at Work Coalition.

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USA: VICTORY FOR FLORIDA FARMWORKERS

After a big public campaign involving unions and workers' rights advocates, Burger King agreed to give Florida farmworkers a penny more per pound of picked tomatoes. According to a report from American Rights at Work, "that means an annual raise of 71% for the farmworkers who, on average, earn only $10,000 a year under the old wage, and are among this country’s most exploited workers." The organization is asking all of us to send a congratulatory note to the workers on this wonderful victory: http://action.americanrightsatwork.org/campaign/burger_king_victory