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May Day, Swine Flu, and Ailing Workers Rights

May 6, 2009

In Mexico,
the government’s failure to contain the recent Swine Flu outbreak has "conveniently" resulted in the
cancellation of May Day for the first time in the country's history. A recent
article in Monthly Review explains that independent workers’ unions in Mexico are now locked in a struggle
with the Mexican government and their often corrupt unions who oppose rallies
and demonstrations. In the height of the economic crisis and drug wars, many
Mexican workers still suffer unpaid layoffs.

Elvira, Filipino Mother: Unfair workloads and resistance to union organizing

May 6, 2009

My salary does not cover my expenses. We are allowed maternity leave
from work as required by law. However, temporary workers will lose
their jobs if they fall pregnant. We are not treated with respect at
the workplace. The workload is not always fair. Men are always promoted
ahead of women. I am in the process of organizing a union but am met
with constant resistance and threats that management will close down
the factory. Since the global, economic crisis 108 workers have been
temporarily laid-off. However, I believe the company is using the
global economic crisis as an excuse. Tigerways was a top rank company

Moni's Story: Poor wages and harassment in the workplace

May 5, 2009

I am a permanent laborer however the company has yet to issue me with an appointment letter. My entire salary goes towards feeding and raising my family. However, the amount I earn does not cover my all of my monthly expenses. On an average day I wake up at 5:00am as I need to cook for my family, fetch water, shower, and do laundry. I leave for work at 7:00am. From 1:00-2:00pm I have lunch, which I bring from home. After work I make my way to the shops to buy vegetables, rice, and daal to cook for dinner. When I arrive back home I cook, clean and make sure my son does his homework before going to bed.

Rosemary's Story: Fired for being pregnant

May 4, 2009

My job is seasonal. There’s more work during the asparagus, grape, and artichoke harvests. I signed a contract in the APEISA Company, but I never signed a contract with any other companies I worked for. They would just take us in and tell us what to do. During 2008, I continued to work in the non-traditional agro-export industry in other companies, mostly in the grape harvest. I am paid weekly, according to how much I produce. It’s $48 a week in high season, in low season I earned between $13 and $16 a week.

Malika, Pakistani Mother: Stood Up for her Rights and was Fired

May 3, 2009

Then what started was a very difficult period for my family. Only my
husband was employed so the income of the family was reduced. Before,
we got free health services and medicine from social security but now
we have to purchase expensive medicine from the market. The most
difficult period started when I became ill. When I went for a checkup
at a private hospital, it was found that I had an infection in my womb
that had to be operated on. We collected our life savings and assets
and sold all of it for the operation. I also borrowed money from my
relatives. The private hospital looted me and all of my money spent on
the treatment. After the operation, the doctor suggested that I don’t

Maritza, Puerto Rican Mother: Unsafe workplace and resistance to unionizing

May 2, 2009

There’s not a lot of safety in our factory. There’s not enough space
to walk down the aisles. We’re almost sitting on top of each other. The
walls, fans, and lamps are dirty. The bathrooms aren’t in the best
conditions – the toilet seats are broken and many of the toilets don’t
work. Sometimes there isn’t toilet paper. We are lucky to get paid
maternity leave that ranges between 20-60 days. We are offered a
medical plan but it’s expensive; for me the family medical plan costs
me $150 per month and it doesn’t even cover pharmaceuticals. We don’t
have paid sick leave: right now we’re organizing to have our legal
rights to12 paid sick days per year.

May Day Fails its Promise to Workers

May 1, 2009

On April 19, while President Obama was shaking hands with Colombia’s President Uribe, mine workers for a US coal company in Colombia were being violently assaulted by Colombia’s National Guard. The workers were engaged in a peaceful demonstration in solidarity with a worker who was killed on the job on March 23, and to demand enforcement of better safety and health protections in the workplace. National Guardsmen surrounded the meeting with tanks, injured several workers, and detained the union leaders.

Corporate America Feasts from the African Bread Basket

April 30, 2009

In its essence, Ngonyo’s talk downplayed the influence that American corporations and government agencies have in re-shaping Kenya's agriculture policy. Kenyan farmers and consumers were kept in the dark last year as the US legislature passed the Global Food Security Act on genetically modified organisms (GMOs) that benefits multinational corporations while putting farmers and consumers at risk. However, this act paints a bigger and more morbid picture of a broken African food system that allows these corporations and agencies to abuse agricultural workers and in turn feed the world unhealthy food.

Far from Equal Pay

April 28, 2009

In the US, according to a new analysis released by the Institute for Women’s Policy Research, the median weekly income for men is higher than those of women in almost all occupations.  Even in the highest ten paying professions for women, a woman’s salary consists of only 86% of a man’s salary in the same position.  This has significant consequences for women, as the salary that a female worker is paid today considerably impacts the amount of social security benefits she will receive later in life and the retirement money she will be able to rely on due to the contribution she will be able to make to her 401K plans.

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