Updates, resources, events, news and much more.
Tuesday, 24 July 2012
It’s Time to Tie Executive Pay to Worker Pay
In the past 40 years or so, CEOs have gone from earning 20 times more than the average worker, to more than 230 times the average worker.
Over the same period of time, unions have weakened to the point that successful companies feel comfortable asking for unprecedented concessions from workers at the same time the company is reaping record profits. What do these things have to do with each other? Everything.
Over the same period of time, unions have weakened to the point that successful companies feel comfortable asking for unprecedented concessions from workers at the same time the company is reaping record profits. What do these things have to do with each other? Everything.
Occupy the Midwest Conference: Detroit, Aug. 23-26
August 23rd to 26th, 2012 the Occupy The Midwest Conference will be taking place in Detroit, Michigan, hosted by Occupy Detroit.
The summer conference will be the second gathering of Occupiers from around the Midwest, following the widely acclaimed success of the previous conference held during the spring in St. Louis, MO.
Detroit was selected for the second Occupy The Midwest Conference because it serves as an unfortunate example of our failed economic system.
Detroit was once a proud and iconic American city that represented the effort, pride, and character of the working class, serving as the epicenter of the American auto industry, while also acting as a major force in the entertainment industry. Today Detroit ranks amongst the highest rates in unemployment, empty housing, and crime, following the collapse of the auto industry and subsequent housing market collapse. No city in America better represents the harmful effects of corporate greed and political corruption than Detroit.
Click here to register!
Super-Rich Rabbit Hole: Wealthy stash $21 tn in offshore havens
Wealthy tax evaders, aided by private banks have exploited loopholes in tax legislation and stashed over $21 tn in offshore funds, says a report.
Olympic mascots made for Locog in Chinese 'sweatshop' factories – report
Staff making Wenlock and Mandeville toys say they were paid as little as £6 a day and forced to work illegal overtime hours
Olympics merchandise for London 2012 is being produced in sweatshop conditions with staff earning as little as £6 a day, despite organisers promising to clean up its supply chain, according to a new report.
Activists in China spoke to dozens of factory workers and discovered staff were forced to work up to 120 hours overtime a month, nearly three times the legal limit.
At one factory, staff had to buy their own safety masks and were fined half a day's salary if they were five minutes late to work.
Some of the 50 workers interviewed said they left the factory constantly covered in paint and even their saliva had changed colour, while others were left feeling sick.
During the busiest period of production for the Olympics, between last December and April this year, staff worked six day weeks for 11 to 12 hours a day, clocking up 120 hours a month in overtime – despite Chinese labour laws stating overtime should be no longer than 36 hours a month, the report said.
At the Shiwei factory in Shenzhen City, which also produced plastic toys for London 2012, 40 workers were interviewed and revealed they were working similarly long hours, not finishing until midnight, before starting work at 8am the next day.
They also revealed managers would fine them half a day's wages if they were five minutes late.
If they were more than five minutes late they would be fined one-and-a-half day's salary for causing a "work stoppage". Two work stoppages led to a six-day salary deduction.
Olympics merchandise for London 2012 is being produced in sweatshop conditions with staff earning as little as £6 a day, despite organisers promising to clean up its supply chain, according to a new report.
Activists in China spoke to dozens of factory workers and discovered staff were forced to work up to 120 hours overtime a month, nearly three times the legal limit.
At one factory, staff had to buy their own safety masks and were fined half a day's salary if they were five minutes late to work.
Some of the 50 workers interviewed said they left the factory constantly covered in paint and even their saliva had changed colour, while others were left feeling sick.
During the busiest period of production for the Olympics, between last December and April this year, staff worked six day weeks for 11 to 12 hours a day, clocking up 120 hours a month in overtime – despite Chinese labour laws stating overtime should be no longer than 36 hours a month, the report said.
At the Shiwei factory in Shenzhen City, which also produced plastic toys for London 2012, 40 workers were interviewed and revealed they were working similarly long hours, not finishing until midnight, before starting work at 8am the next day.
They also revealed managers would fine them half a day's wages if they were five minutes late.
If they were more than five minutes late they would be fined one-and-a-half day's salary for causing a "work stoppage". Two work stoppages led to a six-day salary deduction.
Monday, 23 July 2012
Part II of the Occupy Wall St. Documentary
#whilewewatch - Part II of the Occupy Wall St. Documentary
WHAT WE’RE DOING:
As the one year anniversary of Occupy Wall Street nears, the grievances of the occupiers continue to go unanswered. They want to impact the 2012 election so we want to follow them to the Democratic and Republican National Conventions where they will continue their protest. To do this, we need YOUR help to cover traveling costs, film equipment, crew, eight weeks of editing, legal expenses, music rights, social media, and mainstream media file footage.
WHAT WE’RE DOING:
Part I of #whilewewatch recorded the events that started on September 17, 2011 but since the movement continues, so does the documentary.
As the one year anniversary of Occupy Wall Street nears, the grievances of the occupiers continue to go unanswered. They want to impact the 2012 election so we want to follow them to the Democratic and Republican National Conventions where they will continue their protest. To do this, we need YOUR help to cover traveling costs, film equipment, crew, eight weeks of editing, legal expenses, music rights, social media, and mainstream media file footage.
Besides traveling to the conventions, we will be filming in New York up until the movement’s one year anniversary.
There is also a brief history of Occupy on the site linked at the top of this post and the full length film.
There is also a brief history of Occupy on the site linked at the top of this post and the full length film.
TODAY in New York City
Across New York, our livelihoods are under attack. After years of massive layoffs and high rates of unemployment, wages and benefits are being cut from what used to be middle class jobs. On top of that, workers are working longer hours without overtime pay, health insurance or any retirement benefits.
Meanwhile minimum wage jobs are the fastest growing sector in the state growing ten-fold over the past five years.
A minimum wage earner employed full time makes just of $15,000/ year. That’s hardly enough to get by in New York. And many low-wage workers have tips and wages stolen by employers, forcing them to survive on even less.
Full-time work shouldn’t keep you in poverty. It’s time for workers to band together and demand respect in our work places. It is time to tell our elected officials that New York needs a raise. It’s time for broader prosperity across the country.
Join us July24th at 5PM. Union Sq* Broadway & 14 Street * Manhattan
Text Occupy
TextOccupy is a text messaging platform designed for the Occupy movement
Or cell phone
text alerts to unlimited members
chat on public and private SMS groups (aka "cells")
conduct polls
engage live audiences with text-to-screen
schedule reminder texts
track news about your movement
phone numbers are kept private
and it's free
What it's about
text alerts to unlimited members
chat on public and private SMS groups (aka "cells")
conduct polls
engage live audiences with text-to-screen
schedule reminder texts
track news about your movement
phone numbers are kept private
and it's free
What it's about
Nearly Year After Occupy, Community Banks, Credit Unions Report Steady Growth
The momentum began in October, as Occupy groups formed around the country, including in Healdsburg and Santa Rosa. It reached zenith on National Bank Transfer Day, on Nov. 5, a separate movement started by a 27-year-old Los Angeles art gallery owner, urging consumers to withdraw money from big banks.
“What’s remarkable is that every single month for us has been as good as last October,” said David Williams, a spokesman for Santa Rosa-based Community First Credit Union.
“Through the Occupy movement, people really started to question what their banks do with their money and our clients have continued to just build and build. It’s as if a critical mass was reached and the momentum has not diminished.”
Community First saw a 28 percent surge in new checking accounts last year and this year is on pace to grow about 22 percent, Williams said. Their lending has also nearly doubled since last year to $29.5 million in first five months of this year.
That’s a big deal because the average rate of growth nationwide for a credit union is under 2 percent per year, according to Anne Benjamin, executive vice president and chief operating officer of Redwood Credit Union, North Bay’s largest credit union with 18 branches.
Since last summer, Redwood has picked up more than 26,000 new members, an increase of about 12 percent from the previous year.
“About 40 percent of our new members are from big banks,” Benjamin said. “People are not only moving their accounts to us, but also their home and car loans and applying for credit cards."
Tax Dollars at Work
Based on a "Flashpoints" interview with Dennis Bernstein & Dave Lindorff.
directed & animated by
Chris Fontaine
produced by
Softbox
While $21 Trillion is Unaccounted For, We Fight
It was reported on Sunday that over $21 Trillion USD is unaccounted for in offshore tax havens.
Single payer health care, debt relief, education fully funded through post graduate level, and a federal public transportation program, all could be paid for if we recover these funds. It is not an impossible dream. So we fight.
We ask you to start thinking about joining us on September 17th in the financial district of NYC where we will once again be inconvenient in the face of global capitalism and by our simple presence we will demand that a different world be imagined and implemented.
We lit the spark in 2011, help us make 2012 the year in which we move from problem to solution. It is time to address the abusive form of capitalism under which we suffer and to walk in the streets until justice is served.
The Lessons of 2011: Three Theses on Organisation
Campsite on Rotshchild Boulevard, Tel Aviv, July 2011
Tackle Tax Havens
From Tackle Tax Havens.com
Tackle tax havens is a global campaign designed to raise public awareness of tax havens: what they are, the damage they do and how we can tackle them together.
Taxes are the most efficient and sustainable means of supporting vital public services like education, healthcare, a legal framework, police force, public transport networks, welfare and much, much more.
But the wealthy can escape their responsibilities to the societies on which they and their wealth depend - by hiding their money in tax havens.
Tackle tax havens is a global campaign designed to raise public awareness of tax havens: what they are, the damage they do and how we can tackle them together.
Taxes are the most efficient and sustainable means of supporting vital public services like education, healthcare, a legal framework, police force, public transport networks, welfare and much, much more.
But the wealthy can escape their responsibilities to the societies on which they and their wealth depend - by hiding their money in tax havens.
OWS: Guitarmy March, Paul Talbot Arrest & Chalk Walk protests LA
This episode of the show reports on the Guitarmy March to New York from Philly and OWS Week correspondent Paul Talbot's violent arrest. OWS Week also reports on the L.A. the Chalk Walk event which was stormed by LAPD with many arrests and rubber bullet injuries.
Also in this edition is an update on the Fort Manning demonstrations and an accounting of how Mitt Romney got mic-checked at Koch's plush beach house.
From Occupy.com
Tens of Thousands Protest Mexico's New President
Protesters from the Yo Soy 132 movement, also dubbed the "Mexican Spring", took to the streets this weekend to protest what they call a corrupt election that resulted in the PRI, Mexico's centrist party, winning control of the government.
At least 32,000 protesters marched through Mexico City chanting slogans like "Pena Out" and "Fraud, Fraud" to contest the election results Sunday, accusing president-elect Enrique Peña Nieto, a member of the PRI, of electoral fraud.
Protesters carried signs reading, "Winning by cheating is not winning at all and is illegal" and "You launder money, we are cleaning our consciences."
At least 32,000 protesters marched through Mexico City chanting slogans like "Pena Out" and "Fraud, Fraud" to contest the election results Sunday, accusing president-elect Enrique Peña Nieto, a member of the PRI, of electoral fraud.
Protesters carried signs reading, "Winning by cheating is not winning at all and is illegal" and "You launder money, we are cleaning our consciences."
Sunset Park Tenant Attacked
Sunset Park tenant who was fighting slumlord to make repairs is now fighting to get better after attack
Francisca Ixtilico wanted to show TV crew hazardous conditions at 553 46th St.
Resident Francisca Ixtilico, 65, who lives at 553 46th St. was allegedly punched in the head by the building’s superintendent when she tried to him into the trash-filled basement, witnesses said.
Ixtilico is now at Lutheren Hospital with internal bleeding in her brain. Friends say she’s gotten worse.
“One side of her body is totally numb,” said Dennis Flores, a neighbor and member of Occupy Sunset Park who came to Ixtilico’s rescue. “She’s not moving. She’s not doing anything. She can hardly mumble.”
Tenants at 553 and the two neighboring buildings, 545 and 557, fear they are living in a fire trap that go up in flames at any time.
They went on a rent strike last year to force landlord Orazio Petito of Peto Management to fix hazardous electrical wiring, and faulty fuse boxes that require the constant use of portable fans to keep from overheating.
Conditions at the building were so bad Petito made Public Advocate Bill de Blasio’s list of the city’s worst landlords.
Francisca Ixtilico wanted to show TV crew hazardous conditions at 553 46th St.
Resident Francisca Ixtilico, 65, who lives at 553 46th St. was allegedly punched in the head by the building’s superintendent when she tried to him into the trash-filled basement, witnesses said.
Ixtilico is now at Lutheren Hospital with internal bleeding in her brain. Friends say she’s gotten worse.
“One side of her body is totally numb,” said Dennis Flores, a neighbor and member of Occupy Sunset Park who came to Ixtilico’s rescue. “She’s not moving. She’s not doing anything. She can hardly mumble.”
Tenants at 553 and the two neighboring buildings, 545 and 557, fear they are living in a fire trap that go up in flames at any time.
They went on a rent strike last year to force landlord Orazio Petito of Peto Management to fix hazardous electrical wiring, and faulty fuse boxes that require the constant use of portable fans to keep from overheating.
Conditions at the building were so bad Petito made Public Advocate Bill de Blasio’s list of the city’s worst landlords.
Iceland Dismantles Corrupt Government
This is a re-upload from The Young Turks.
I hope this will make you "Think" about the Banks and how they use them for control.
Iceland didn't bail out the banksters they Arrested them. Now there economy is growing faster then the EU's. More arrests were made today. Google: "Iceland arrests bankers" and learn about this.
Police urged to rid Cardiff's streets of homeless in time for Olympics UK
Cardiff Retail Partnership wants officers to utilise the 1824 Vagrancy Act so that visitors to the city are not given the wrong impression of the Welsh capital.
The law, which was introduced as a measure to deal with the rising numbers of rough sleepers following the Napoleonic Wars, makes it a crime to sleep on the streets.
According to the legislation, anyone deemed to be a “rogue” or “vagabond” found to be sleeping in the open air can be jailed for up to three months.
Yes, don't let the rich see the reality of the world around them!
Adidas Slated over Factory Pay ‘insult’
Amid continuing allegations over G4S Olympics security, another Games sponsor, Adidas, faced criticism today for offering former workers £35 food vouchers, rather than over £1 million back pay owed.
Amid continuing allegations over G4S Olympics security, another Games sponsor, Adidas, faced criticism today for offering former workers £35 food vouchers, rather than over £1 million back pay owed.
The British campaign groups Labour Behind the Label and War on Want attacked the Olympic sportswear partner for what they branded a derisory insult, as the International Olympic Committee executive board meets in London.
The groups say Adidas owes £1.1 million ($1.8 million) to more than 2,800 ex-workers – paid as little as 45p an hour - from its erstwhile Indonesia supplier PT Kizone, whose owner fled 18 months ago, resulting in the factory’s closure..
But, though other buyers from the factory have contributed £956,000 ($1.5 million) towards the overall settlement, Adidas has offered each worker just a £35 food voucher – worth £98,000 in total – and only for use in one supermarket.
Its cash value is the price of one Adidas Team GB Olympic replica kit men’s T-shirt.
In stark contrast, Adidas paid £100 million to sponsor the Games.
Amid continuing allegations over G4S Olympics security, another Games sponsor, Adidas, faced criticism today for offering former workers £35 food vouchers, rather than over £1 million back pay owed.
The British campaign groups Labour Behind the Label and War on Want attacked the Olympic sportswear partner for what they branded a derisory insult, as the International Olympic Committee executive board meets in London.
The groups say Adidas owes £1.1 million ($1.8 million) to more than 2,800 ex-workers – paid as little as 45p an hour - from its erstwhile Indonesia supplier PT Kizone, whose owner fled 18 months ago, resulting in the factory’s closure..
But, though other buyers from the factory have contributed £956,000 ($1.5 million) towards the overall settlement, Adidas has offered each worker just a £35 food voucher – worth £98,000 in total – and only for use in one supermarket.
Its cash value is the price of one Adidas Team GB Olympic replica kit men’s T-shirt.
In stark contrast, Adidas paid £100 million to sponsor the Games.
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