Author Archives: Josh Eidelson

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Wal-Mart Watch: SEIU’s Fight for the Future Blog, maintained by President Andy Stern, has engaged an admirable and urgent project: an extended discussion across the web and beyond on the challenge Wal-Mart and Wal-Martization pose to good jobs, and the strategies and coalitions neccesary to fight them. Over spring break, I had the pleasure of a very-late-night multi-hour discussion about what such a strategy would look like with some amazing organizers from different parts of the country. I’m hoping to contribute something soon; should you, fair reader, wish to do so, e-mail your thoughts, or a link to them, to blog@seiu.org. Meanwhile, some highlights from Andy’s posts this week:

Monday:

Some people think we should follow the “Wal-Mart only” strategy — Wal-Mart is making the global business rules, and so changing their business practices changes everything. But others say we have to tackle more than just Wal-Mart. Why?

1) Wal-Mart is the trendsetter, affecting how other corporations do business. Tomorrow, we’re going to hear from a worker about how Intel’s been following in Wal-Mart’s footsteps. So we need to start telling and spotlighting the wrong behavior of more companies and send a message we won’t take Wal-Mart as an excuse anymore.

2) The “Wal-Mart plus” strategy proposal says that Wal-Mart is the toughest nut to crack. Campaigns need victories along the way — victories that don’t just stop a company but actually change its and others’ behavior. If we only take on Wal-Mart, it’s hard to see how we’ll sustain our enthusiasm to keep going.

The “Wal-Mart only” strategy says that the world’s largest corporation is making the global business rules, and changing their business practices changes everything.

Tuesday:

Wal-Mart, Target, and other corporations now use subcontractors for janitorial services. And just like global outsourcing, they squeeze these subcontractors to bid lower and lower to get the subcontracted work. To stay competitive, honest subcontractors are often forced to drop their wages and benefits to poverty levels. Dishonest contractors don?t let minimum wage or overtime law stand in the way. When these subcontractors get caught, Wal-Mart and other rogue corporations pass the buck…

Our first strategy in this campaign is challenging corporations to adopt the Justice at Work Principles for responsible subcontracting. By signing the principles, companies agree that they and their subcontractors will provide decent wages, health and retirement coverage, and working conditions. They also pledge to respect workers? right to form unions to win a voice on the job. To ensure these commitments are carried out, companies will give independent organizations the authority to interview workers and audit payroll records.
Wednesday:

With a little self-organizing, if we figure it out right, we could help folks crank up the activism as mutual fund shareholders, big time. We can challenge Wall Street right at the heart of their business ? supposedly working in the interest of shareholders. We can force the giant banks and financial service companies that run mutual funds to take a long-term view of the companies they invest in, to reward companies that treat workers well, and to punish those, like Wal-Mart, that cut wages and benefits to the bone.

Today:

…why don’t more workers fight back in court? Partly because workers fear that filing a lawsuit could get them fired. But the other problem — the one we can help solve right now — is that it takes a lot of work to find a lawyer who will take these kinds of cases.

So, SEIU wants to help. Working with law firms and legal centers, we’ll develop a state-by-state strategy for helping workers get in touch with lawyers when their rights have been violated. What do you think about a nationwide Wal-Mart Justice at Work legal network of volunteer and paid lawyers…

Lawsuits aren’t a long-term solution. Ultimately, workers need a direct voice on the job through a union so they can defend themselves every day. But as a first step on that road, we can help workers use the legal system to ensure that corporations treat them with at least the minimal respect they are due under the law.

Also, check-out previous editions of the LWB Wal-Mart Watch here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here.

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Home of the brave:

Last week, Secret Service agents trekked out to Prosser and grilled the 15-year-old artist. They left without charging him with anything, but that didn’t stop the school district from punishing the kid anyway. So, here’s my question: When U.S. forces get finished bringing freedom to the people of Iraq, would it be possible for them to do the same thing for the people of Prosser? I’m pretty sure there’s at least one 15 year old over there who’d appreciate it.

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From the latest polling:

After initially expressing robust backing for the war, the public is now evenly divided over whether the United States military should stay for as long as it takes to stabilize Iraq or pull out as soon as possible, the poll showed. Asked whether the United States had done the right thing in taking military action against Iraq, 47 percent of respondents said it had, down from 58 percent a month earlier and 63 percent in December, just after American forces captured Saddam Hussein. Forty-six percent said the United States should have stayed out of Iraq, up from 37 percent last month and 31 percent in December.

[Bush’s approval rating] now stands at 46 percent, the lowest level of his presidency in The Times/CBS News Poll, down from 71 percent last March and a high of 89 percent just after the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.

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Bush has, unsurprisingly, rejected the AFL-CIO’s demand that China be held accountable for making profits off of human rights violations. Interestingly, he brought four members of cabinet to a press conference to announce it. The best quote, however, came the President of the Chamber of Commerce:

Tom Donahue, the president of the Chamber of Commerce, said that workers’ rights should never be included in trade agreements. “Had the administration accepted the petition, there would have been a number of negative consequences.” Mr. Donahue said. “We would have married forever human rights and trade, and that would have been a huge mistake.”

Keep that quote in mind next you hear this administration talking about the liberating power of free trade.

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The great folks SEIU Local 36 in Philly, whom I worked with while planning the Freedom Rides this past summer, are demonstrating outside of the Franklin Institute’s Gala Dinner this evening at 5 PM. The Franklin Institute is, in my very limited experience, the best science museum for the non-scientists among us in the world. But it’s refusing to provide affordable healthcare to the men and women who keep it clean and allow it to function. It’s time for that to change.

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Kos offers an e-mail he’s come across from the Press Secretary of the National Republican Congressional Committee to Republican congressional staffs on “earned media” opportunities in May. It provides a pretty intriguing look at media, image, ideology, and the Republicans. A few of the highlights:

Older Americans Month: The theme for this year’s Older Americans Month is “Aging well, Living well.” Because of your member’s efforts, America’s seniors are living well…You member can hold a summit or workshop on housing issues, like long-term care housing, or mental health issues that affect seniors each year. A nutritionist can help you talk to seniors about the importance of eating right and exercising. Everything should be geared toward seniors not only extending their lives, but increasing the quality of their lives.

Jewish Heritage Week (May 4-11):…One of the biggest issues facing many older Jewish Americans is stolen insurance benefits during the Holocaust.

National Police Week (May 12-18):…Hold a press conference in front of a precinct touting their efforts to keep your community safe. Go on a “ride along” with the police in a high-crime area for a night and invite one television camera to come along. Write op-eds on the importance of the week and touting Congress’ efforts to fund first responders. Also, cut PSAs asking for the community to support their local law enforcement officers.

Loyalty Day (May 1):…our member can call on all local governmental buildings to fly the American flag that day, as President Bush has asked all federal government buildings to do. Your member can also lead a class of young school children in the Pledge of Allegiance or address a school assembly on the importance of loyalty to the nation. This is also another good PSA opportunity, reminding all of your constituents to be aware of the day and to honor it in their own way.

Cinco de Mayo (May 5):…Prepare a statement or press release acknowledging the significance of Cinco de Mayo to the Hispanic community. This statement should be added to your Website and disseminated to both the local Hispanic press and your regular media list…you can announce the launch of your Spanish Website; announce someone that was hired in your office or campaign to work specifically with the Hispanic community; or announce a policy or proposal of particular interest to the Hispanic community that you will fight for in Congress. Work with local and state parties to identify the top three to five Cinco de Mayo events throughout the Congressional district. There should be a booth or table at each one of these events with campaign literature (in Spanish and English). You should work on getting Hispanic volunteers to work these booths. You should tape a short 15-second radio spot in Spanish for the Mexican community. This message should be played in the local Spanish radio stations on the day of Cinco de Mayo.

National Day of Prayer (May 6): …have your member release a statement on the importance of praying for the country, praying for our troops and praying for each other. The National Day of Prayer Task Force asks everyone to say a prayer at noon, wherever they are. Your member can echo that request.

Mother’s Day (May 9): Have your member highlight local mothers who have either numerous children or children with disabilities; and praise them for their strength and how they’re an example for all of society to mirror…

50th Anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education (May 17):…Have your member go to a charter or voucher school if you have one in your district and talk about education as the ultimate civil right, and Republicans are leading the way. If you don’t have a charter or voucher school, announce your support for the creation of one. You can also talk about the numerous benefits of the No Child Left Behind Act.

…For Armed Forces Day and Memorial Day, doing the typical op-eds, statements, parade participation and flag waving go without saying. For National Defense Transportation Day, talk about the importance of transportation in our fight in the War on Terror. Talk about your member’s vote for the $87 billion for Iraq and the armor plating for the Humvees that are making our soldiers safe. And how anyone who opposed that vote opposed keeping our military men and women and, in effect, all Americans, safe.

Notice, in this memo, the payoff of years of methodical construction of an ideological framework to drive and sell the Republican party. Notice the leit motifs: Compassion. Conservatism. Freedom. Patriotism. Loyalty. Choice. Security. What I’m wondering is, is there an equivalent Democratic memo? What would it say?

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Recently I linked an EUMC report demonstrating that the rise is antisemitism in Europe comes from right-wing whites, not left-wing Arabs. Now Jacob considers another report, this one comissioned by the ADL itself, which challenges Abe Foxman view of the world and the subtext of his fundraising appeals:

Antisemitism decreases in Europe; Abe Foxman confused. The JTA’s Toby Axelrod reports on an ADL survey of Europeans that shows a significant decrease in antisemitism. At the same time, anti-Israel feeling increased. Abe Foxman, while hailing European governments that have worked to differentiate Israel from Jews, fails to do so himself and continues to equate the two.

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Over at the Corner, more unrest over the Republicans’ closing ranks to keep the National Review’s man from bumping theirs:

Will conservatives punish Bush and Santorum? The election-night result is the one most calculated to cause them trouble with conservatives. If Toomey had been crushed in a landslide, they would have accepted what Bush and Santorum had done. If he had won, they would not have cared. But since he lost so very narrowly, they know that Bush and Santorum are directly responsible for the result. Santorum has time to recover before he is up for re-election in 2006, but this episode may limit his potential as a conservative standard-bearer. Bush will probably be able to get most conservatives to vote for him this fall, but his task is a little harder after last night.

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Today marked Day Two of a walk-out by TAs at the University of Wisconsin:

Members of the Teaching Assistants’ Association, which has a campus membership of 1,900, walked picket lines at university buildings protesting pay and benefits issues following unsuccessful negotiations with the State Employment Relations Office, which handles labor contract talks for the State of Wisconsin.

The primary point of contention is the state’s insistence that teaching assistants begin to pay some of their health-insurance costs. Union officials say the assistants’ pay averages about $10,000 for nine months’ work. Under the proposed state plan, an unmarried graduate student would contribute about $9 a month toward health-care costs, university officials say. Union officials say they would make the contribution if their salaries were raised to levels matching that of graduate students at comparable universities.