U.S. Retailers Decline to Aid Factory Victims in Bangladesh.

[elleng]

Source: nyt

One year after the Tazreen factory fire in Bangladesh, many retailers that sold garments produced there or inside the Rana Plaza building that collapsed last spring are refusing to join an effort to compensate the families of the more than 1,200 workers who died in those disasters.

The International Labor Organization is working with Bangladeshi officials, labor groups and several retailers to create ambitious compensation funds to assist not just the families of the dead, but also more than 1,800 workers who were injured, some of them still hospitalized.

A handful of retailers — led by Primark, an Anglo-Irish company, and C&A, a Dutch-German company — are deeply involved in getting long-term compensation funds off the ground, one for Rana Plaza’s victims and one for the victims of the Tazreen fire, which killed 112 workers last Nov. 24.

But to the dismay of those pushing to create the compensation funds, neither Walmart, Sears, Children’s Place nor any of the other American companies that were selling goods produced at Tazreen or Rana Plaza have agreed to contribute to the efforts. . .

“There’s been a good response from some European brands, but so far none of the U.S. retailers have agreed to pay a single penny for compensation.”




Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/23/business/international/us-retailers-decline-to-aid-factory-victims-in-bangladesh.html?hp

[Brigid]

1. Soulless bastards.

[warrant46]

17. Walmart Scum will never pay-----It will affect the stock holders

Who need to Maximize the $$$$ like this Filthy Skunk



Alice Walton, the second-richest woman in America, was arrested on the charge of driving while intoxicated and held in jail on the night of her 62nd birthday last Friday, October 7.Upon arrest, Walton refused a blood-alcohol test.

This is not the first time Walton was arrested for driving while intoxicated. She was reportedly convicted on four counts in a drunken driving case in May 1998 in Springdale, Arkansas. Police officers testified in court that at the scene of her car accident, Walton said “Do you know who I am?” and also refused then to consent to a blood-alcohol test, according to the Associated Press.

Walton, whose net worth of $20.9 billion puts her 10th on the latest Forbes 400 Richest Americans list, spent Friday night in the Parker County Jail.

[closeupready]

2. Scandalous and infuriating.

[Solly Mack]

3. Callous disregard for the people who made their profits possible.

Cheap labor is (people are) seen as a commodity whose only value is in what it (they) can produce.

Shameful.

[davidpdx]

4. There are so many retailers to boycott these days due to unethical behavior

it's hard to keep track. More pressure needs to be put on them to aid the workers and start adopting ethical practices.

[elleng]

5. Right. I rarely shop retail so difficult for me to boycott,

but would if I could.

[davidpdx]

6. Yeah, it's almost as though you have to have a guide

"Hmm...ok, this store is ethical, this one isn't".

[Demo_Chris]

7. I am confused... why would the CUSTOMERS of these factories pay anything?

If a cab driver is killed in an accident caused by faulty brakes, you would not expect the passengers in the cab to kick in some money.

[muriel_volestrangler]

8. Because the power in the business relationship is with the western retailers

The factories are sub-contractors for the retailers - they make the clothes that get the retailers' own-brand label put on it.

[Demo_Chris]

10. It sounds like these factories made clothing for a laundry list of retailers...

I understand your point and share your disgust, but I think my point remains valid. It is reasonable to demand (or desire) that western retailers utilize manufacturers that meet at least some minimum safety standards, but in some respects this is out of their control.

When Clinton signed NAFTA this is what he signed on for.

[muriel_volestrangler]

11. Bangladesh is not in North America

It may not be completely in their control, but that doesn't give them the moral right to say "we don't have to do anything at all to fix this". Their manufacturers didn't meet minimum safety standards, and so they ought to help in compensating the injured and the families of those killed.

[Demo_Chris]

12. Yes, the MANUFACTURERS did not meet minimum standards...

I am not even sure they met the standards of their own nations, let alone our standards here. But who's responsibility is it to ensure that a factory in Bangladesh meets Bangladeshi laws? Did Sears or Target or any of the hundred other retailers who utilized their products build the place? Did they manage it? Did they do anything more than purchasing the clothing these factories produced?

In any case, this is what NAFTA and so-called Free Trade does. These companies will continue to seek out the cheapest suppliers, that's their obligation to their shareholders and customers, and these suppliers will inevitably be located in third-word hellholes.

[muriel_volestrangler]

15. Again, NAFTA does not apply

No, it is not 'inevitable' that 'hellholes' are used to produce goods. There is no obligation to customers to find the cheapest supplier possible, and customers can say they won't buy from firms that use dangerous suppliers. Shareholders can decide that too.

Whose responsibility is it? Legally, Sears, Walmart etc. may not get sued over this. That doesn't stop it being partly their responsibility, though. And it's sad to see you 'confused' when people suggest there are such things as morals.

[closeupready]

23. Due diligence. It's negligent to make yourself part of a supply chain

that abuses the health and safety of its workers. And in the event something goes wrong, you would be partially responsible.

[Demo_Chris]

26. So, a hotel guest is financially liable for the accident in the hotel laundry?

In the above example, the guest is the DIRECT purchaser of the product the hotel is selling. More, the guest is on site, and could more easily be expected to investigate and uncover the unsafe working conditions. Right?

But of course you don't ACTUALLY believe that. Hotel guests are not responsible for what the hotel does. The Farmers of West, Texas are not financially liable for the unsafe conditions that led to the explosion at the fertilizer factory. Newlyweds are not financially responsible for the slave labor that uncovered their new diamond. Auto owners are not financially responsible for the ecological carnage the oil companies are causing in Africa. And no, Sears is not responsible for how some clothing factory is constructed.

[closeupready]

27. Corporations are NOT people, and people are NOT corporations.

A corporation has a responsibility to perform due diligence.

A consumer does, but not to the same degree.

[Demo_Chris]

28. Gotcha! So when Disney has an executive conference at a Holiday Inn...

...and during the course of that conference (or even afterwards apparently) one or more Holiday Inn employees are injured by negligence on the part of the Holiday Inn corporation, Disney corporation is not only financially liable for the injuries incurred by Holiday Inn employees, they are also liable for any injuries caused by deficiencies in the construction of that hotel -- including injuries to non-Disney employees. In other words, by doing business with Holiday Inn in any capacity, Disney becomes liable for everything the Holiday Inn corporation does or does not do, both past and future, forever.

That about cover your working model?

But that is, of course, ridiculous. You have to prove negligence before you can talk about damages. In the above example, it is NOT the Disney corporation's job to ensure that working conditions at the hotel are safe, or that workers there are properly trained and legal, or that regular hotel management laws are followed, or that the building itself was properly constructed and meets with local codes. All of that is the responsibility or the Hotel and local government.

[Theyletmeeatcake2]

9. Interesting analogy...if you kept paying too little ,so maintenance wasn't possible

I'd think you're putting your own life at risk as a passenger.....the people that suffered had no blame in this ,they should have been able to safely return to their homes that day but due to greed from construction companies,building owners and buyers that didn't happen....I'd like to think 10cents added onto an article of clothing wouldn't break most of us and would make a heap of difference in these poor people's lives..FFS these are people we're talking about . Is that fish a Christian type symbol....if it is then I'm confused big time....

[Demo_Chris]

13. I think you are missing the point...

It's all well and good for us to say that we would gladly pay a bit more, but how does that work exactly and who is responsible for ensuring that this insignificant price increase translates into safer working conditions? What's to keep the factory owner from pocketing the cash while ignoring these concerns and the law -- just as happened here?

The answer, of course, is government -- both theirs and ours. Our government and party decided we didn't care and apparently the government of Bangladesh doesn't care either. So lacking this, you think the responsibility falls on some retailer?

[Theyletmeeatcake2]

14. I agree it's hard to believe a retailer like Walmart cares about it's own workers...

Let alone those of some sweatshop in Bangladesh ...if the retailer started demanding higher standards then I think you'd find the suppliers would comply...Afterall if the retailer put the acid on over prices they'd have no choice but to drop them ....free market forces can work in all sorts of ways...if someone decides to pocket the cash then someone who actually does spend the money on improving conditions will be a preferred supplier..maybe not as profitable but getting the work....if governments don't take a stand then we as buyers can hurt the retailers as they make the most money out of the goods...it's similar to Walmart v Costco....which one is preferable!

[Demo_Chris]

20. So the solution is the retailer demanding higher standards, the suppliers say "no problem"...

While changing NOTHING, and everyone is happy. Walmart has a new advertising pitch, American consumers can now feel good because they are doing something, and the only people who continue to lose are the people currently being screwed.

Or do you demand that every retailer send construction engineers to inspect overseas factories for structural issues, and assign their own management to live on site and thus ensure that American standards of workplace safety are complied with in these overseas factories? And not one factory mind you, but ALL of them. For a company like Walmart, that would mean assigning staff to perhaps ten thousand factories. Are you beginning to see the issue? Sears didn't build the factory or padlock the fire doors shut, the factory owners did that.

We feel bad that this happened, we want justice and compensation for the victims. And since we know it probably wont happen locally, we turn our anger against the only people in this chain with money -- the customers of these factories. But we are ALL customers of these factories, and these cries for justice are nothing more than our effort to feel better about ourselves. We are talking about third-world sweatshops here. They are, almost by definition, dirty and dangerous hellholes for the workers. We want the stuff they make, but we want to be able to tell ourselves that these hellholes are different. They're SAFE and clean hellholes.

[Theyletmeeatcake2]

21. So what do you suggest should be done???

I'm all ears !!!

[Demo_Chris]

22. There is only one answer...

If you want standards such as safe and clean working conditions, workers rights, and even product safety and quality control, the product must be made here where these things can be inspected by the only agency with a vested interest in ensuring compliance -- the government. Without that as a minimum nothing else is even worth discussing.

We have a hard enough time just making sure these things happen here, let alone overseas.

Sadly, neither party is even remotely interested in this, and the current administration is as bad as any. I believe they just approved the exporation of chickens to China so that they could be processed there and shipped back over here. It is apparently cheaper to ship a chicken to the other side of the world, then back again, rather than paying a living wage and processing the meat safely here. The only possible savings come from slave labor and the complete abandonment of anything even approaching proper food handling proceedures. If we are disgusting here, and we are, just imagine how horrid the new processes will be. And more, just imagine how many wonderful new plagues we will be importing, and how many Americans may die.

Apparently our party's leaders don't care about that though.

[Pakhet]

25. won't happen

The only way they'd move those jobs here is if they could pay the workers the same wages.

[closeupready]

24. Walmart could send inspectors to do surprise safety checks.

Other industries do this.

[Dustlawyer]

16. Their whole reason for outsourcing was so they were not subject to regulations and could make

more profit! The last thing they want to encourage is responsibility to make things safer for workers and pay for the damage caused by excessive cost cutting, for that they could have left the jobs in the U.S. What they expect is for another supplier to jump in and continue business as usual. Let the victims (workers) pay the human costs since the manufacturer does not have the insurance or money to take care of the victims.
Here in the U.S. things have degenerated to where these corporations are shells with little to no assets to pay when they get a judgment against them. The money is always siphoned off to a parent corporation. Get hit by an 18 wheeler today and find out that after the minimum insurance is used up the corporation files bankruptcy with nothing in the way of assets to give to the victims if the insurance was insufficient to cover all of the damages. I have seen this personally too many times to count.
Tort Reform is another boondoggle that the U.S. Chamber of Commerce successfully sold to the American public. They used people's hate for "greedy trial lawyers" to trick people to give up their rights. The media has been complicit in this, distorting stories like the McDonald's coffee case and others to help sell this. Corporations do not want to be responsible for their actions! In our defense, trial lawyers help keep the business world honest. Our job has become increasingly more difficult because of tort reform. Bush was able to put a lot of ultra conservative judges on the bench and in the Courts of Appeals. Now, every jury award we win is automatically appealed and the Courts of Appeals find a way to overturn the verdicts. The Texas Supreme Court is one example, they vote in favor of the corporations 87% of the time!
Tort reform also gave Republicans a way to reduce Democrats campaign donations b/c Trial Lawyers are the 2nd biggest contributors to the Democratic Party behind Unions.
The reason Sears, Walmart and the rest will not help is b/c this is why they set it up this way in the 1st place! Don't believe the hype next time you are on a jury. Listen to the evidence and do not let another juror use the "greedy lawyer" BS! We always end up with several brain washed potential jurors on the jury panels who cannot envision a deserving plaintiff. Their hate for trial lawyers blinds them to the facts. Rule on the facts of the case, we can live with that!

[freshwest]

18. +1. You'll be interested in this from octoberlib:

Liberal Group to Fight Dark Money…by Raising $40 Million of It

The group, the Fund for the Republic, recently laid out its plan for 110 donors, fundraisers, activists, and political operatives, who convened over two days in mid-September at the W Hotel in Washington, DC, for an invitation-only, closed-press gathering titled "Crony Democracy." Cohosted by the Democracy Alliance, the conference featured speakers and attendees including House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), Craigslist founder Craig Newmark, investor and progressive activist Jonathan Soros, ex-George W. Bush adviser Mark McKinnon, Stride Rite Corporation founder and major Democratic donor Arnold Hiatt, and Ben Cohen of Ben and Jerry's.

The event had a single goal: convincing well-heeled donors to invest in a $40 million "surge" to combat the flood of big money into American politics. That money, to be raised over five years, according to internal planning documents obtained by Mother Jones, will be funneled through the Fund for the Republic (FFR), a 501(c)(3) charity founded in September 2012. Nick Penniman, a progressive fundraiser who runs the fund and helped organize the "Crony Democracy" event, says his group will dole out those funds to groups involved in lobbying, grassroots advocacy, litigation, and electoral work aimed at strengthening ethics and campaign finance reform laws.
With an eye toward the 2014 and 2016 elections, AFR plans to fund groups working to defeat politicians who oppose campaign finance reform—such as Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.)—and to elect supporters of the cause. Documents provided to Mother Jones say this political work will be funded "primarily" by AFR, which, as a so-called social-welfare group, can engage in electoral activity as long as these efforts don't eat up a majority of the group's money and time.

http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2013/09/democracy-alliance-fund-for-republic-40-million-surge-reform

Soros has threatened to primary any Democrat who doesn't support campaign finance reform.

As far as the brainwashing about tort reform, it is a hostile movement in place many years. Some years ago I went to a clinic to get my meds renewed in a red area. My regular doctor had taken up with them but was out of town.

It was all new, and the so were the doctors, staff, etc. in an 'exclusive area.' Right off the bat, the receptionist tried to get me to sign a tort reform petition as I was waiting. I said was just there for my meds, didn't want to get poltiical.

But I knew just what it was, and would have never signed it. She got abusive, and in all my subsequent visits, she and the doctor who doing my regular doctor's job, all became abusive, making remarks about having to lose money to have Medicare patients and continuing to try to get me to sign. It was very much 'in your face.'

Then I caught them being greedy when I managed to get extra insurance and had an accident. They billed Medicare, my extra insurance and auto insurance and as I looked over the bills, discussing it with the auto insurance it was obvious they were triple billing.

I'd already signed paper for subrogation of the costs and they next tried to bill me, calling me at all hours when I was sick. They made negative posts in my record, trying to make me look bad, and the new doctor even tried to call me and disguise her voice. I let my insurer know, but the calls kept coming. It was a mess.

This is our society on rightwing propaganda. That is, oppressive and abusive over basic things.

I also learned when my doctor returned to town from out of state work, that they were taking her patients to get the fees, refusing to schedule them to see her, so that she had no patients. She soon realized what happpened as her patients began calling her old number and telling them what was going on and they were very unhappy with the new doctor, and would she please come back?

But she was there after making appointments to an empty list of patients. Very shady goings on, very rightwing. They are strangling this country and they are vicious.

[Dustlawyer]

19. Thanks. This is exactly what I am talking about! I believe that our electoral system is totally

corrupt with a system of regular bribes (campaign contributions) from the same individuals and organizations. I am glad to see that there is some attempt at attacking the root problem of our political system. Publicly funded elections and complete campaign finance reform are necessary to ensure that our government will not continue to be hijacked by the Plutocracy! It would allow for the return of our Representative Democracy, which has been representing only large special Interests for several decades.
Doctors offices show only Fox News even if we complain. That does not stop me, I make a scene that I am not here to be brainwashed by RW propaganda! If they continue, I see another doctor rather than support their BS!