Read: "The house of cards".
This article may be seen at:
http://libcom.org/...
This article--with words and pictures--graphically details the Bangladeshi garment factory building collapse of April 24, 2013. Utilize this link to see the pics and article.
Looks like the article is at least partially sourced from: http://online.wsj.com/...
Pictures are graphic but necessary to raise our consciousness and outrage against many of our major clothing vendors.
Every time I have heard that some of the European clothing companies are going to contribute to the strengthening of safety of workers in Bangladesh I also hear that American companies are refusing to contribute anything towards safety measures for the factory workers and/or the American clothing companies are remaining silent.
We hear about a few non profits being targeted by the IRS. The media generates and fuels outrage. Yet a Bangladesh garment factory disaster is just another News story. Where's the outrage?
If the same level of outrage was generated by the media towards the Bangladesh factory collapse that was generated towards the Clinton affair, maybe our companies would be forced to do something like bring garment jobs back to the United States and/or insist on safe conditions for the factories overseas.
Marx called for international worker unity. We can support the Bangladeshi workers by writing/pressuring clothing companies, writing/pressuring our representatives, and threatening to take our clothing dollars elsewhere.
By striking against the companies, by boycotting their products, by uniting for fair working conditions and wages, I believe that we will raise the bar for all workers across the world. Companies may be beyond governments but so are consumers.
Historically, when unions raised the bar for their members, other non-union workers benefited.
If we can get BGH/BST out of our milk, We can get slavery/human abuse out of our clothing and many other products.
Watch the movie "Ethos" and act on its prescription: vote with your dollars as well as with your ballot.
This is not a one year task. This is a lifetime task.
Even if we successfully drive improvements for the garment workers in Bangladesh-we must be ever vigilant because-- like wolves --the corporations are ever-waiting and ever-ready to capture our commons and remake our society/our world for their interests. The Triangle Shirtwaist factory disaster of the last century returned with a vengeance but sporting the names: Rana Plaza, Bangladesh, Savar, Sohel Rana......
Wolves never go away. Wolves lurk. Wolves cannot be trusted. Wolves are simply always looking for their next victim--the next opportunity. Wolves are not criminal --just living their lives trying to survive. As stated in the movie "The Corporation": Corporations are sociopaths: its just their nature; its just who they are; its just how they operate. We as individual consumer/citizens have set up corporations' environment so they are likely and possibly required to operate as sociopaths. If we let wolves loose in our neighborhood we will get hurt. We must set up corporations so they can coexist with our human rights and human needs. Its our responsibility as individual citizens and consumers to structure our commons so Corporations can operate with intelligence and dignity while serving societies across the world.
Many major economists and academics are calling out the abuses of our renegade market and its beloved "capitalism". Alternative radio has podcasted several lately: Joseph Stiglitz, Richard Wolff, Chuck Collins, Chris Hedges and several others. They offer prescriptions as well.
These thoughts may seem daunting...But I think that we just need to realize that we as the collective masses ultimately have the power.....
3:58 AM PT: the death toll is now over one thousand.
I also heard that the workers understood the danger and did not want to go to work on the 24th but were threatened with the loss of one months wages and physically threatened by goons forcing them to go back to work after identifying the growing crack.