Think Inside the Bun: Economic Justice Update
1.) Farmworkers, with a lot of support from church groups, won a major victory with Taco Bell. Nobody gave them a chance against Pepsico-but we wouldn't bet against the powerful coalition they've created as the prepare to take on Mc Donald's, Subway and Burger King. From Common Dreams via the AP:
Published on Sunday, May 22, 2005 by the Associated Press
First, They Took On Taco Bell. Now, the Fast-Food World
IMMOKALEE, Fla. - Tejano music bounced off the one-story buildings of this farming town and the smell of tamales filled the air as scores of revelers danced into the night outside the headquarters of the Coalition of Immokalee Workers.The celebration marked a hard-fought, unlikely victory by the workers, a coalition of mostly Guatemalan and Mexican tomato pickers, over one of the nation's fast-food giants,Taco Bell. They led a four-year boycott against the chain until it agreed in March to pay a penny more per pound for Florida tomatoes and to adopt a code of conduct that would allow Taco Bell to sever ties to suppliers who commit abuses against farmworkers. With that triumph, the farmworkers group is turning to a larger target: the rest of the fast-food industry. The coalition has sent letters to executives at McDonald's, Subway and Burger King asking them to follow Taco Bell's lead.
2.) Meanwhile, in case you missed it, on Thursday Maryland Gov. Robert Ehrlich vetoed a Md. bill forcing Wal-Mart to fund health care. He did it with a Wal Mart Exec sitting at his side. Very subtle.
Cinn. Enquirer
By Gretchen Parker, The Associated Press
PRINCESS ANNE, Md. - With a Wal-Mart executive by his side, Gov. Robert Ehrlich vetoed a bill Thursday that would force the world's biggest retailer to spend at least 8 percent of its payroll on health benefits or pay the difference to a Maryland fund. "We are here to enthusiastically veto a bad piece of public policy," Ehrlich said in this Eastern Shore town, where Wal-Mart Stores Inc. plans to build a distribution center in 2008. "The reason we are vetoing this bill is that it threatens the economic health of this terrific county."
3.) It was a busy week for the Maryland Republican--on Friday he also found time to veto a bill that had passed by the Maryland State Legislature with bipartisan support.
As Mike Tidmus reports:
The law, known as the Medical Decision Making Act, would have created a statewide registry for unmarried couples and would have afforded registered partners eleven rights taken for granted by traditionally-married couples. The law included the right to make medical decisions for an incapacitated partner, the right to make funeral arrangements for a partner, and the right to privately visit or share a room with a partner in a nursing home. Seven of those rights cannot be secured in advance with a legal will, power of attorney or advance directive. Ehrlich’s justification: the law “will open the door to undermine the sanctity of traditional marriage.”
We think these two acts should open the door Mr. Ehrlich's return to the provide sector-rumor is there's a great job awaiting him at Wal-Mart. Only low-end employers like Wal Mart will be attracted to a state that treats its gay citizens so badly.
Published on Sunday, May 22, 2005 by the Associated Press
First, They Took On Taco Bell. Now, the Fast-Food World
IMMOKALEE, Fla. - Tejano music bounced off the one-story buildings of this farming town and the smell of tamales filled the air as scores of revelers danced into the night outside the headquarters of the Coalition of Immokalee Workers.The celebration marked a hard-fought, unlikely victory by the workers, a coalition of mostly Guatemalan and Mexican tomato pickers, over one of the nation's fast-food giants,Taco Bell. They led a four-year boycott against the chain until it agreed in March to pay a penny more per pound for Florida tomatoes and to adopt a code of conduct that would allow Taco Bell to sever ties to suppliers who commit abuses against farmworkers. With that triumph, the farmworkers group is turning to a larger target: the rest of the fast-food industry. The coalition has sent letters to executives at McDonald's, Subway and Burger King asking them to follow Taco Bell's lead.
2.) Meanwhile, in case you missed it, on Thursday Maryland Gov. Robert Ehrlich vetoed a Md. bill forcing Wal-Mart to fund health care. He did it with a Wal Mart Exec sitting at his side. Very subtle.
Cinn. Enquirer
By Gretchen Parker, The Associated Press
PRINCESS ANNE, Md. - With a Wal-Mart executive by his side, Gov. Robert Ehrlich vetoed a bill Thursday that would force the world's biggest retailer to spend at least 8 percent of its payroll on health benefits or pay the difference to a Maryland fund. "We are here to enthusiastically veto a bad piece of public policy," Ehrlich said in this Eastern Shore town, where Wal-Mart Stores Inc. plans to build a distribution center in 2008. "The reason we are vetoing this bill is that it threatens the economic health of this terrific county."
3.) It was a busy week for the Maryland Republican--on Friday he also found time to veto a bill that had passed by the Maryland State Legislature with bipartisan support.
As Mike Tidmus reports:
The law, known as the Medical Decision Making Act, would have created a statewide registry for unmarried couples and would have afforded registered partners eleven rights taken for granted by traditionally-married couples. The law included the right to make medical decisions for an incapacitated partner, the right to make funeral arrangements for a partner, and the right to privately visit or share a room with a partner in a nursing home. Seven of those rights cannot be secured in advance with a legal will, power of attorney or advance directive. Ehrlich’s justification: the law “will open the door to undermine the sanctity of traditional marriage.”
We think these two acts should open the door Mr. Ehrlich's return to the provide sector-rumor is there's a great job awaiting him at Wal-Mart. Only low-end employers like Wal Mart will be attracted to a state that treats its gay citizens so badly.
posted by Faithful Progressive at 12:16 AM
1 Comments:
Counsel from elders seems to be a lost treasure. Lost are lessons learned that may contain pearls of wisdom that could have benefited the seeker. Having survived my share of hazardous crossings, I am pleased to be able to share a thought or two. The main lesson is to keep on learning. Read and seek out other points of view like visiting your blog. Finding what is ultimately important has lead me to appreciate actuality, efficiency and mindfulness. Helping others to see some of the forest through the trees is a rewarding benefit of age and maturity. happy thoughts
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