Ellen, thank you so much for your comment and sorry for our delayed response. Unfortunately this question is sill quite pertinent.
After some searching, there doesnÌ¢âÂã¢t seem to be an overwhelming movement within the American Jewish community to address these labor issues in Bangladesh, despite our connection to previous workplace disasters (i.e. the Triangle fire). Perhaps Jews are choosing to take action on different issues, or to take action against labor injustice through non-Jewish campaigns and organizations? Maybe most of us have moved too far away from the experience of laborers to feel motivated to take action?
Here are a few resources that begin to answer your question:
This article from The Jewish Daily Forward dated May 31, 2013 (http://forward.com/articles/17..., highlights the different key players in contemporary labor issues and discusses how globalization complicates the successful solutions of the Ì¢âÂÒsimpler daysÌ¢âÂå of the Triangle. Given that Jews are more often consumers or employers of labor, rather than laborers ourselves, how can we as a community begin to make change within the system described here? (Also not a rhetorical question.) Is there a place for us as Ì¢âÂÒthe Jewish Community?Ì¢âÂå If so, what is it? If not, where is our place?
The Jewish Labor Committee (http://www.jewishlaborcommitte... is currently running a petition to the management of Walmart (http://act.aflcio.org/c/949/p/... to join an international accord (known popularly as the PVH-Tchibo plan [http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05...]) which includes a binding, independent inspection program, mandatory improvements in workplace safety, and binding arbitration enforceable in the courts of the country where a company is based, rather than an unenforceable self-audit of factory conditions. (Wal-Mart is currently one of several North American corporations spearheading the Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety (http://www.bangladeshworkersaf..., the actions proposed by which have received much criticism [http://world.time.com/2013/07/...] from labor advocates and unions.)
In addition, the Jewish Alliance for Law and Social Action (JALSA) (http://jalsa.org/en/) responded by posting corporate addresses for companies that buy from Bangladeshi factories (http://www.jalsa.org/en/?p=621... and asking people to write to CEOs and pressure them to change their policies.
Several educators within our network have been sharing this story with young people, raising awareness about the issue, and having students discuss it from a consumer standpoint. Our Go & Learn activity guide about labor activism and communal responsibility (http://jwa.org/teach/golearn/s... has a print-ready lesson plan for youth (teens) that presents one way of introducing ideas of collective responsibility, action, and consumer activism to students.
Please let us know if you have heard of other actions for labor reform in Bangladesh that are taking place within (or outside of) the Jewish community. We would love to help spread the word. Thanks also for having the courage to take our community to task on this issueÌ¢âÂÛit seems there should be more practical conversation and action on this front.
Ellen, thank you so much for your comment and sorry for our delayed response. Unfortunately this question is sill quite pertinent.
After some searching, there doesnÌ¢âÂã¢t seem to be an overwhelming movement within the American Jewish community to address these labor issues in Bangladesh, despite our connection to previous workplace disasters (i.e. the Triangle fire). Perhaps Jews are choosing to take action on different issues, or to take action against labor injustice through non-Jewish campaigns and organizations? Maybe most of us have moved too far away from the experience of laborers to feel motivated to take action?
Here are a few resources that begin to answer your question:
This article from The Jewish Daily Forward dated May 31, 2013 (http://forward.com/articles/17..., highlights the different key players in contemporary labor issues and discusses how globalization complicates the successful solutions of the Ì¢âÂÒsimpler daysÌ¢âÂå of the Triangle. Given that Jews are more often consumers or employers of labor, rather than laborers ourselves, how can we as a community begin to make change within the system described here? (Also not a rhetorical question.) Is there a place for us as Ì¢âÂÒthe Jewish Community?Ì¢âÂå If so, what is it? If not, where is our place?
The Jewish Labor Committee (http://www.jewishlaborcommitte... is currently running a petition to the management of Walmart (http://act.aflcio.org/c/949/p/... to join an international accord (known popularly as the PVH-Tchibo plan [http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05...]) which includes a binding, independent inspection program, mandatory improvements in workplace safety, and binding arbitration enforceable in the courts of the country where a company is based, rather than an unenforceable self-audit of factory conditions. (Wal-Mart is currently one of several North American corporations spearheading the Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety (http://www.bangladeshworkersaf..., the actions proposed by which have received much criticism [http://world.time.com/2013/07/...] from labor advocates and unions.)
In addition, the Jewish Alliance for Law and Social Action (JALSA) (http://jalsa.org/en/) responded by posting corporate addresses for companies that buy from Bangladeshi factories (http://www.jalsa.org/en/?p=621... and asking people to write to CEOs and pressure them to change their policies.
Several educators within our network have been sharing this story with young people, raising awareness about the issue, and having students discuss it from a consumer standpoint. Our Go & Learn activity guide about labor activism and communal responsibility (http://jwa.org/teach/golearn/s... has a print-ready lesson plan for youth (teens) that presents one way of introducing ideas of collective responsibility, action, and consumer activism to students.
Please let us know if you have heard of other actions for labor reform in Bangladesh that are taking place within (or outside of) the Jewish community. We would love to help spread the word. Thanks also for having the courage to take our community to task on this issueÌ¢âÂÛit seems there should be more practical conversation and action on this front.