Who Are the Worst Corporate Scrooges of All?
December 17
10:12 am
Nestle's CEO Paul Bulcke gestures during an annual results news conference on February 19, 2009, at the Swiss food giant headquarters in Vevey. Nestle said net profits surged 69.4 percent to 15 billion dollars in 2008 and that it would be among the industry's fastest growing companies in 2009. (Photo by FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP/Getty Images)
By Stephen Franklin
Our global economic blow-up has not only messed up the lives of mllions—it has made holiday list-making a real bummer for working stiffs.
How can anyone name the worst Scrooge of them all when there have been so many in the year nearly gone by? How can we begin, for example, to list all of those who picked the pockets of the poor with payday loans, or who hounded them with schemes to allegedly stop their financial hemorrhaging?
And who deserves to be at the top of the list of those who shamelessly bet others' lives away on stock deals so risky that Satan wouldn’t take the chance, and then get hefty bonuses?
It just doesn’t seem fair to name only one or two companies that wiped out workers’ pensions, trimmed benefits and put salaries on hold while handsomely rewarding their executives for going through such tough times.
But let’s be realistic. We need a list.
We need to name names with faces because it’s hard to get angry at anonymous demons. We need have some faces to focus on. We know the faces of some very powerful bankers, thanks to their appearances at Congressional hearings.
But who is the business honcho behind the drive to kill healthcare reform? And who thought up the drive to make sure lower cost foreign-made drugs stay out the U.S. market and don't dent any U.S. company’s profits?
I can’t. Can you?
That’s one reason why the 2009 list from the International Labor Rights Forum on the "Worst Companies for the Right to Associate" (released last week) is so handy. Another reason is that it focuses a light on some companies that might have otherwise evaded any attention.
This year’s four recipients are, according to the Washington-based labor group:
- Dole, for its alleged “threats against trade unionists and mistreatment of workers” in some of the 90 countries where the agri-business giant operates.
- Kohl’s, for the Wisconsin-based retailer’s alleged failure to make many of its suppliers wipe out sweatshop conditions.
- Kraft Foods Inc., for its alleged punishment by firing last year of Argentinian workers who were protesting unhealthy conditions at their plant.
- Nestle USA, for its alleged “harassment, wage deductions and suspension” of workers at various factories around the world who were seeking better working and living conditions.
Does that do it for you? Not for me.
Personally, I know there are remarkable Scrooges out there who deserve to be snarled at for their unrelenting greed in face of communal woes. I am sure there is more than a handful of incredibly cruel financial organizations that still refuse to work with the government to save troubled mortgages and who still lurk in the shadows.
There seems to be no end to the possible listing of double-talking companies that have taken advantage of the hard times to make life harder for their workers.
So, here’s your chance to add your own company suggestions. Please make your recommendations in comments below—while being courteous. It is the holiday season, remember.
Posted by Stephen Franklin · corporations jobs unionbusting ·
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Comments
Jobs with Justice is holding its 10th annual scrooge of the year competition. There’s a great piece on it at the AFL blog with background on the candidates, which include:
The Chamber of Commerce, Hyatt Hotels, Publix Supermakets, Student Loan providers, and the whole lot of Wall Street.
Check out the background and don’t forget to vote!
http://blog.aflcio.org/2009/12/14/cast-your-vote-for-scrooge-of-the-year/
I nominate Andrew Stern, for subverting union democracy in his own union and trying to destroy Unite Here. (We need to resist despotic leaders in our own ranks before we have a chance of winning against the Dole’s and Kohls and Walmarts of the world.)
I second Randolph Martin’s nomination of Andy Stern as Corporate Scrooge of the Year!
Stern and his Purple Unionism are the worst threat to American workers and the American labor movement!
While I agree with Gregory B. and Randolph M., I feel that the object of this was to name corporate scrooges. Hmm. Stern does run the SEIU like his own personal corporation.. oh well.
I nominate the Hyatt Hotels for their anti-union, and dangerous work practices. A recent academic study showed that this hotel chain has the worst occupational inury rate of all major hotel chains. This is comes about primarily due to the inhumane work loads forced on it’s housekeeping staff ( 30-34 rooms in a 7 hour shift)
Across the nation Hyatt has expressed it’s contempt for workers and the UNITE HERE union. I would propose naming them at least in the top ten and asking good trade unionists to boycott these scoundrels until they agree to treat their workers in a more just and humane manner!
I’d agree with Brother Valdez nomination of the Hyatt chain - and I think that it might be a good time for UNITE HERE to carry out national strike action against the entire Hyatt chain over this issue - if not now, during the Christmas holiday travel season, than during the upcoming summer travel season next year.
As for Boycotting, nice in principle but in practice boycotts are where labor campaigns go to die.
Now, a SECONDARY boycott against Hyatt would be a nice idea!
I’m a union carpenter who works in the trade show industry - and if me and my brothers and sisters in the Carpenters, Teamsters and IATSE Stagehands unions refused to work at shows at Hyatt hotels, and if Teamster drivers refused to make deliveries and garbage pickups, and if unionized taxi drivers and bus drivers refused to pick up guests from those hotels, that WOULD have an impact.
Yes, it would be a civil tort and yes the unions would have to pay a fine - but so what?
Freedom isn’t free and my union has a whole lot of money in it’s treasury so it’s well worth the sacrifice!
Brother Butler,
The American Federation of Musicians also plays at a lot of Hyatt Hotels across the nation. Their refusal to play especially during the holiday season would be disastrous to the Hyatt bosses!
As to laws that make it illegal for secondary boycotts… well that is why the American labor movement is so weak. We depend onand abide by laws written by pro-boss lawyers. It is my deepest opinion that when and only when the U.S. labor movement disregards oppressive laws will we see the labor movement come back to life in this country! The bosses violate the laws every day, so why should we abide by laws set up to harm us?
Indeed, how can I forget the brothers and sisters from the AFofM - they could join in the boycott too and it would have quite an impact!
You’re absolutely right about the anti labor laws - we need a campaign of massive resistance - systematically defy those laws and make them unenforceable!