CORPORATIONS REJECT MAJOR ACCORD ON BANGLADESH

In today's L.A. Times (July 3, 2012) there is an article by James Brudney and Catherine Fisk that points out that Wall Mart and Gap, two huge American corporations, have opted out of worker protection in Bangladesh.

They, and many other corporations, have refused to sing the Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh, a "historic advance over the voluntary private factory monitoring that has tragically failed to prevent the recent disasters in Bangladesh," state the authors.

It seems obvious that firms who make enormous profits by doing business with firms that imperil the lives of their workers bear a responsibility to work for safe buildings with fire exits, proper ventilation and somewhat decent wages that can only be brought about by labor unions.

The Times' editorial page is perhaps more depressing.  It states that most U.S. companies have refused to to join with several European companies to sign a pact to work together to ensure that Bangladeshi workers work in safe buildings.  "They will pool resources to inspect building, contribute to a fund to upgrade factories an to binding arbitration in disputes over safety commitments," states the Times.  

Years ago, The Southernland Studies documented that if major U.S. corporations, who were offenders in breaking regulatory codes and rules, were made to appear before criminal courts they would do substantial jail time because they were repeat offenders.

Perhaps we should look upon Wall Mart, Gap, and other U.S. corporations who won't contribute to efforts to provide basic human rights to foreign workers as crooks, or, at a bare minimum, as incorrigible moral reprobates.

I'm sure that most of us would be willing to pay 75 cents more for a pair of jeans if it meant the the safety and welfare of Bangladeshi workers would be improved.

                                    UPDATE

In July, 2012,  Sander Levin and George Miller, members of the House commented on American retailers that refused to go along with the “Accord” that 72 major retailers, in the U.S. and abroad have agreed to.  The statement reads, “We are deeply disappointed that Wall-Mart, Gap, Target, Macy’s, The Children’s Place and the other major American retailers have rejected that call and, instead, have announced a competing program that borrows the rhetoric of the Accord but not its critical elements. 

“The Accord, among other things, obligates its members to make the necessary funds available to fix unsafe factories.  The Wal-Mart/Gap-led plan, called the Alliance, does not.  Further, the obligation of the Alliance member retailers is limited to no more than $1 million per year, which is used for activities such as training, worker hotlines, and spot inspections, but not for remediation of building deficiencies. Notwithstanding that three-fifths of the garment factories are vulnerable to collapse, according to Bangladeshi engineers, the single effort undertaken by the Alliance to help with remediation is a strictly optional program to make “affordable capital” available to factories. Indeed, the primary purpose of the Alliance appears to be to limit the retailers’ liability – and therefore their responsibility – in ways that the Accord would not.”

Shame on Wall-Mart, Gap, Target, Macy’s and other immoral, greedy retailers.