Take action against Target-

[asdjrocky]

http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/1035/t/1657/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=22691

This is an Action Item that goes beyond politics and party. This goes to the very core of the rights of all workers in this country that deserve social and economic justice. Wal-Mart isn’t the only target of the worldwide labor movement, as you’ll soon see. The following is an email I received from SEIU today, take a few minutes to read it, then take action. It’s pretty simple. Please check in if you will, and let me know.

The link above takes you to the Action Item, the link below allows you to join the SEIU Action Center.


Thank you all!

A few years back, retail workers made headlines by denouncing a little-known Wal-Mart policy-the lock-in. For years, Wal-Mart locked workers in overnight in many of its stores, where workers were unable to come and go at will until a manager came with keys in the morning.

Today Target Corporation, which operates 1,591 stores in 47 states, is following Wal-Mart's lead, locking in profits-and workers too.

Locking workers in overnight is not just wrong, but dangerous. The practice belongs neither in our country nor our century. Unfortunately, lock-ins are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the treatment of Target's subcontracted workers. Like Wal-Mart, Target's janitorial and security contractors have violated the wage and hour laws, pay poverty wages, provide no affordable health insurance to their workers and fail to treat their workers with dignity and respect on the job.

That's why Interfaith Worker Justice (IWJ) is leading a coalition that is asking Target to insist that its contractors change such policies, abide by the labor laws, pay their workers fair wages, provide them with affordable health insurance and treat their workers with dignity and respect. Please join us in sending a message to Target, requesting that the company meet with IWJ in order to put an end to these forms of worker neglect and abuse.

Join us in TAKING ACTION for justice at Target stores by e-mailing or faxing a letter to Target management, right from your computer. Please send Target a message today.

http://seiuaction.org/seiu/join.html?r=vpeolD514e_ZE

[asdjrocky]

1. Kicking myself.

[Jack Bone]

2. K&R

[asdjrocky]

3. Thanks!

[druidity33]

4. K&R too! nt

[asdjrocky]

6. Sweet.

[proud2BlibKansan]

5. Shit, it was hard enough giving up WalMart

:grr:

[asdjrocky]

7. I know, I know.

If this keeps up I'll have no where to buy pants.

[proud2BlibKansan]

8. And you have a new job!

I like Kohl's for clothes.

And NO I don't want to know that they are evil too! :)

[asdjrocky]

9. Yeah, I'll check on Kohl's now for you.

[proud2BlibKansan]

18. NO!

Hands on my ears!! Don't take Kohl's from me. Please! I beg you.

[asdjrocky]

19. But just think, all we're asking for is a meeting.

Maybe Target will cave to pressure, and we can then all buy guilt free pants.

[EFerrari]

10. Isn't this against the fire code or something?

I can't believe they're doing this. It's stupid and just asking for trouble.

[asdjrocky]

12. Crazy isn't it? I mean, in this day and age.

[cigsandcoffee]

38. I'm thinking there must have been an emergency exit...

...that sounded an alarm or something. There's no way it would have been legal otherwise.

[asdjrocky]

50. I hear ya.

But what's "legal" isn't always what's right.

[SoCalDem]

43. Stores who stock at night usually lock the doors to PROTECT

the workers who would be easy targets if someone decided to rob the place..

Our nightcrew had a security guard whose job it was, to stay by the doors in case of an emergency, but the doors were locked to keep people OUT when the store was closed..

[EFerrari]

44. Yes, I understand that. It's security on the cheap, though,

and it's dangerous.

[dysfunctional press]

46. there are generally fire doors, with alarms, that can be used as emergency exits.

at least that's how it was when i was locked in the zayre store i worked in to re-work department layouts at night.
but since it was zayre, it was obviously awhile back- i don't know how they do it today, but i would imagine that there would still be fire exits. otherwise it WOULD be entirely illegal.

if nothing else, if there was a fire, there are generally some large windows in the front that could be busted out with a display rack or something similarly heavy and steel.

[Mythsaje]

11. Uh...well...

Maybe someone should've approached ME about this. I know about the lock-in policy. I don't like the idea at all. The overnight crew (those who unload the trucks and do the major stocking of the store), the early morning crew (those who come in at 4 to 6 AM to do the ads and such), and the cleaning crew are all locked in until the doors are opened at 8 AM.

I don't particularly like the policy. Being locked in bugs me and it's one of the reasons I avoid any assignment that requires me to work those shifts as a general rule.

As far as the rest of it--I can't speak for the rest of the corporation, but my store tends to treat the workers with a great deal of respect. The supervisors are all friendly and treat us decently--for the most part. Wages are low and hours vary quite a bit, especially this time a year. But they're not all that much lower than most similar positions in similar stores. And working for Target is certainly better than working for, say, Wal-Mart or K-Mart. It's a better environment and, from everything I can tell, they genuinely care about their workers. There's a strong safety culture and a strong emphasis on positive reinforcement rather than negative reinforcement. Just in those two things it's head and shoulders above many of my former employers.

When you're first hired they play a ridiculous anti-union video that's full of lies, but that was no more than one might expect. I laughed at it and have had conversations with other workers who know that it's pure nonsense.

There are a LOT worse places to work. I know, because I've worked for them.

[asdjrocky]

13. But what if it could be better?

What's the best thing about it, and what is the worse? I would really love to have your take on this, and I had no idea you worked there. I tried to get a part time job there about 6 years ago, and I wasn't hiring material.

[Mythsaje]

22. The slogan of "fast, fun and friendly" seems to be real

I work with a lot of great people both older and much younger than myself. As with any corporation, some of the stuff that comes down from on high is ignorant and stupid, but we all know it's to maximize the profits of the bigwigs and we bear the costs.

But generally the execs and supervisors are decent people who treat us all as valuable members of a team. This last holiday season I was one of the top trainers--I must have trained twenty-five to thirty of our seasonal employees.

My main complaint is with the corporate bullshit. Our store made 50 million last year and our projected goal was 52 million. Had we got that extra two million, we would've gone up a grade and received more support for more team leads and more payroll hours. But, since we didn't, we LOST what we would have gained. We've lost 3 team leads in the last month and it doesn't look like they'll be replaced any time soon. And, in the meantime, I'm picking up the slack--or, at least, I was until my problem with the nerves in my back flared up and my doctor took me off duty until next week.

I could complain about the pay rate...I make a lot less than I probably deserve, but yearly reviews are in April and I've earned a decent raise. They've changed the way they do it now and high performers will allegedly get the raises they've earned.

[asdjrocky]

27. So it's almost like-

"No Target Left Behind." Your test scores are down, and instead of getting a little help, you get penalized.

Do you feel like if you took your corporate concerns up the ladder it would get any attention?

[Mythsaje]

32. Oh, my direct supervisors are aware of it.

And I'm sure SOME comments have trickled upstairs. But we know it's about maximizing profits. The problem is that EVERY large corporation I've ever worked for was guilty of the same type of stupid crap, or somehow similar crap.

[asdjrocky]

36. I hear ya, it's like death from a thousand cuts.

[Barb in Atl]

14. Yowza...

Thanks for that. Giving up Wal-Mart was not a problem for me. I always thought it was kinda' skeezy anyway. Kinda' started sliding away from target, too. But KMart? I thought they were big on the helping the families of military, at least that was the email that went around Christmas.

I'm gonna have to do all thrift stores, I know it.

Ugh. My sizes are not easy to find.

[asdjrocky]

15. It's getting harder and harder to be a Progressive.

[proud2BlibKansan]

20. I worked for KMart for nearly 10 years, through high school and college

It was back in the 70s. They were a GREAT company to work for back then. They treated their employees very well. I even got my birthday off WITH PAY.

[Mythsaje]

23. The word is from people now

that a lot of that has changed. KMarts are almost always a mess and most of the employees I encounter look as though they're in hell itself.

[proud2BlibKansan]

26. How sad

I met my husband at KMart. We fell in love in the midway aisle. :)

[Mythsaje]

28. That's cool.

I actually met my wife through the AOL personals, believe it or not.

Having to compete with Wal-Mart has not been good for Kmart.

[asdjrocky]

30. And that was before the era of anti-worker Ray-Gun.

[Matariki]

21. What happens if you get sick or have a personal emergency and HAVE to leave?

Can you get out of the building?

[Mythsaje]

24. The exec on duty has the keys...

And they'll let you out.

[Matariki]

31. And the person with tthe key is in the building?

What about people who smoke - do they get to go out for a smoke break or are the out of luck?

[Mythsaje]

33. Oh, yeah. There are a few supervisors or execs with keys.

And, yes, people who smoke are SOL.

[Orsino]

45. Target therefore sounds like the sort of company who might actually listen.

I have eagerly signed on. Let's stamp out evil!

[CTC411dotcom]

16. Pick your battles...

With a name like Target, they're looking for trouble!

[asdjrocky]

17. Funny!

And welcome to DU! :hi:

[Matariki]

25. Locking employees in? Ack! But also ----

Target is on the Buy Blue list and on the Calvert Socially Responsible Investing list. Hopefully public complaints will make them rethink this one.

From the Calvert site:

Company Overview
Retail giant Target sells everything from clothing to electronics at its discount retail stores and online, and customers can also purchase groceries at its Super Target stores. One of the concerns with “big box” stores like Target is land use, for large stores with even larger parking lots have potential to destroy habitat and damage watersheds. Target addresses these concerns by establishing some stores on environmentally impaired properties known as “brownfields.” Remediation and redevelopment of brownfield sites diminishes environmental impact while restoring land to communities. In 2003 and 2004, one-third of Target’s new stores were either brownfield redevelopment sites or existing buildings that were redeveloped. Target’s programs of reuse and recycling for the benefit of the community extend to other areas as well. Through partnerships with Goodwill Industries and other nonprofit agencies, Target salvages close to 100 million pounds of damaged and overstocked merchandise each year, providing community enrichment, job creation, and job training. Since 2004, Target has run a resource recovery program that keeps equipment, fixtures, and other assets out of landfills by finding ways to redeploy, sell, donate, or recycle industrial and building materials. After the company found itself dealing with perishable food from the growing number of Super Target stores, Target joined with America’s Second Harvest, a nonprofit organization, to ensure that the products made their way to food pantries, soup kitchens, and other programs that feed the hungry.

[asdjrocky]

29. That's my feeling.

I honestly like Target. I believe with a little pressure, at the right time, in the right places, will turn them around. Let's face it, it's not like they don't have the money.

[Mythsaje]

34. Target does some really good things...n/t

[asdjrocky]

39. I would agree with you.

The letter, if you take a closer look at it, is really about the contractors Target hires to do much of the janitorial work there. And again, I think with a little pressure, in the right place, Target does the right thing, and everybody is happy.

[Mythsaje]

40. Most likely...

Nothing wrong with putting it out there and seeing what happens.

[asdjrocky]

41. We can hope. nt

[Lorien]

35. Does no one remember the Triangle shirtwaist fire?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triangle_Shirtwaist_Factory_fire



On the afternoon of March 25, 1911, a fire began on the eighth floor, possibly sparked by a lit match or a cigarette or because of faulty electrical wiring. A New York Times article also theorized that the fire may have been started by the engines running the sewing machines in the building. To this day, no one knows whether it was accidental or intentional. Most of the workers who were alerted on the tenth and eighth floors were able to evacuate. However, the warning about the fire did not reach the ninth floor in time.

The ninth floor had only two doors leading out. One stairwell was already filling with smoke and flames by the time the seamstresses realized the building was ablaze. The other door had been locked, ostensibly to prevent workers from stealing materials or taking breaks and to keep out union organizers.

The single exterior fire escape, a flimsy, poorly-anchored iron structure, soon twisted and collapsed under the weight of people trying to escape. The elevator also stopped working, cutting off that means of escape, partly because the panicked workers tried to save themselves by jumping down the shaft to land on the roof of the elevator.

Sixty-two of the women who died did so when, realizing there was no other way to avoid the flames, they broke windows and jumped to the pavement nine floors below, much to the horror of the large crowd of bystanders gathering on the street level.<4> Others pried open the elevator doors and tumbled down the elevator shaft. Of the jumpers, a single survivor was found close to drowning in water collecting in the elevator shaft. The fallen bodies and falling victims made it difficult for the fire department to reach the building.

The remainder waited until smoke and fire overcame them. The fire department arrived quickly but was unable to stop the flames, as there were no ladders available that could reach beyond the sixth floor. The ultimate death toll was 148, including 141 who died at the scene and seven survivors who later died at hospitals.<5>

The consequence
The building's east side, with 40 bodies on the sidewalk. Two of the victims were found alive an hour after the picture was taken.
The building's east side, with 40 bodies on the sidewalk. Two of the victims were found alive an hour after the picture was taken.

The company's owners, Max Blanck & Isaac Harris, had fled to the building's roof when the fire began and survived. They were later put on trial, at which Max Steuer, counsel for the defendants, managed to destroy the credibility of one of the survivors, Kate Alterman, by asking her to repeat her testimony a number of times — which she did without altering key phrases that Steuer believed were perfected before trial. Steuer argued to the jury that Alterman and probably other witnesses had memorized their statements and might even have been told what to say by the prosecutors. The defense also stressed that the prosecution had failed to prove that the owners knew the exit doors were locked at the time in question. The jury acquitted the owners. However, they lost a subsequent civil suit in 1913, and plaintiffs won compensation in the amount of $75 per deceased victim.

Rose Schneiderman, a prominent socialist and union activist, said in a speech at the memorial meeting held in the Metropolitan Opera House on April 2, 1911, to an audience largely made up of the well-heeled members of the Women's Trade Union League, a group that had provided moral and financial support for the Uprising of 20,000:
“

I would be a traitor to these poor burned bodies if I came here to talk good fellowship. We have tried you good people of the public and we have found you wanting. The old Inquisition had its rack and its thumbscrews and its instruments of torture with iron teeth. We know what these things are today; the iron teeth are our necessities, the thumbscrews are the high-powered and swift machinery close to which we must work, and the rack is here in the firetrap structures that will destroy us the minute they catch on fire.

This is not the first time girls have been burned alive in the city. Every week I must learn of the untimely death of one of my sister workers. Every year thousands of us are maimed. The life of men and women is so cheap and property is so sacred. There are so many of us for one job it matters little if 146 of us are burned to death.

We have tried you citizens; we are trying you now, and you have a couple of dollars for the sorrowing mothers, brothers and sisters by way of a charity gift. But every time the workers come out in the only way they know to protest against conditions which are unbearable the strong hand of the law is allowed to press down heavily upon us.

Public officials have only words of warning to us – warning that we must be intensely peaceable, and they have the workhouse just back of all their warnings. The strong hand of the law beats us back, when we rise, into the conditions that make life unbearable.

I can't talk fellowship to you who are gathered here. Too much blood has been spilled. I know from my experience it is up to the working people to save themselves. The only way they can save themselves is by a strong working-class movement.
”

Others in the community, and in particular in the ILGWU<6>, drew a different lesson from events: working with local Tammany Hall officials, such as Al Smith and Robert F. Wagner, and progressive reformers, such as Frances Perkins, the future Secretary of Labor in the Roosevelt administration, who had witnessed the fire from the street below, they pushed for comprehensive safety and workers’ compensation laws. The ILGWU leadership formed bonds with those reformers and politicians that would continue for another forty years, through the New Deal and beyond.

As a result of the fire, the American Society of Safety Engineers was founded soon after in New York City, October 11, 1911.

[asdjrocky]

37. Thanks for bringing this-

So many times we forget some of the real heroes at the center of the Progressive movement, and the sacrifices they made.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludlow_Massacre

[Omaha Steve]

42. When my son was on summer vacation, Shop Ko did this to him too

This must go on in a lot of places.

K&R!

[asdjrocky]

48. Hey Steve! Thanks for checking in.

[fight4my3sons]

47. This happened to my husband when he worked overnights at

Lowe's. I don't know if it is still their practice, he hasn't worked there in a year. They said it was to deter stealing of merchandise.

[asdjrocky]

49. Merchandise = More Important than People. n/t

[shireen]

51. "mobile phone number" is a required field in the form

I'd gladly sign the form-letter if they made it an optional field.