NEWSBYTAYLOR LEAKE

Animal welfare and food safety advocates just won a big victory! Smithfield Foods, the world's largest pork producer and processer, has agreed to phase out the use of gestation crates by 2017.

Gestation crates are tiny, two-foot-by-seven-foot stalls that factory farms use to confine pregnant sows. Because pigs on factory farms are virtually always pregnant, they spend a huge portion of their lives crammed into these stalls. Most pigs held in these cruel, unsanitary cages don't even have enough room to turn around and are limited to two positions: standing or lying on their stomachs.

Gestation crates are currently banned or in the process of being banned in eight states and the European Union.

Smithfield originally promised to phase out gestation crates back in 2007, but by 2009, the company had gone back on its promise citing economic concerns. Even after the economy rebounded and Smithfield boasted record profits, the company failed to re-commit to its gestation crate promise. That prompted the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) to start a petition here on Change.org.

The California shark fin ban, AB 376, cleared all of its legislative hurdles, passing in both the House and the Senate. Now the important ocean conservation bill needs just one more thing to become law — Governor Jerry Brown's signature.

Gov. Brown was expected to decide AB 376's fate this week, but the decision was pushed back until October 9, 2011. That gives the opposition more time to pressure the governor into vetoing the shark fin ban, but it also gives us supporters the opportunity to highlight the need for AB 376. You can contact the governor and let him know that California needs a ban on shark fin by signing this petition.

Procuring shark fins involves a cruel process called "finning," where fishermen cut off the fins and tails of live sharks and then throw them back into the ocean to drown or bleed to death. Finning is decimating shark populations, killing nearly 73 million sharks every year and causing declines of 90 percent in some species' populations. The loss of a top predator like sharks wreaks havoc on ocean ecosystems. For that reason, a few states and countries have already enacted legislation banning the sale of shark fins.

There is no doubt that donating blood is extremely important. Every year 5 million U.S. patients receive blood. The Red Cross is the largest supplier of blood in the country. More than 40 percent of the blood supply is collected and processed through the Red Cross, which distributes that blood to more than 3,000 hospitals and transfusion centers. They are incredibly important, the Red Cross is facing some scrutiny from its own workers.

For 18 years, the Red Cross has been under a federal consent decree to improve its blood safety practices. The Food and Drug Administration has fined the Red Cross $37 million for blood safety violations, and the National Labor Relations Board has issued citations against Red Cross for violations of labor laws. The Worker Committee for Blood Safety believes the two issues are interrelated; the Red Cross isn't treating its workers well and that has resulted in less safe blood drives.

That is why they've started a petition here on Change.org. They are asking you to write to Gail McGovern, President and CEO of American Red Cross, and tell her that Red Cross must invest in its workforce to improve blood safety compliance and stop violations of workers’ rights. Specifically, the Worker Committee for Blood Safety wants adequate staffing at all blood drives, including at least one licensed nurse. They say that staffing has become a serious point of contention because the Red Cross is not consistent about staffing blood drives. Where drives in some states may be staffed by two licensed nurses, drives in other states have no licensed personel at all.  They want the Red Cross to adopt, publicize, and enforce a consistent staffing policy for all blood drives.

Sodexo is one of the largest food service companies, and the world's 21st largest employer overall. They have also been a regular target of protest on issues ranging from human rights violations, to environmental issues, to labor rights. The Service Employees International Union (SEIU) has long been in a battle with Sodexo over wages, benefits, and, perhaps most importantly, the right of Sodexo workers to organize a union without interference and intimidation from the company. SEIU has organized protests, day long strikes, and embattled organizing drives across the country, aimed at improving working conditions for Sodexo employees.

Change.org members have thrown their weight behind Sodexo workers as well. Over the last 6 months or so, over 800 Change.org supporters have emailed Sodexo's headquarters telling them they need to respect their workers, pay them a decent wage, and allow them to form unions if they want.

Recently, in part thanks to your support, SEIU made a huge step forward in this battle. The union and Sodexo have agreed to an amicable settlement. Under this settlement, SEIU and Sodexo have affirmed their mutual commitment to the rights of Sodexo employees to make free and informed choices about unionization. "With today's resolution in place, we will continue to serve our members and future members in the foodservice, cleaning, and security industries," said Tom Woodruff, SEIU Executive Vice President. The specific terms of the settlement are confidential, but these types of agreements are incredibly important in labor organizing efforts.

After 2 years without a contract, poor treatment on the job, and an abysmal health and safety record, housekeepers and other staff at Hyatt hotels in Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Honolulu walked off the job for a week long strike. Let Hyatt know that you support the workers on strike by signing this petition, started by Unite Here, the union representing the workers.

The whole labor dispute heated up, literally, when a manager at Chicago's Park Hyatt turned heat lamps on picketing workers demonstrating for a new contract... in July... in a heatwave. The major complaint from workers is not the money or benefits, but rather the way management treats them. As if to prove just how right the workers were, management responded in about as petty and retaliatory manner as they could have. One local radio station reports that, "combined with the outdoor air temperature, Linda Long says it was hotter than the Hyatt kitchen she’s worked in for eleven years."

Chicken of the Sea, one of the largest canned tuna brands in the U.S., sports a happy, smiling mermaid as its logo. But if mermaids were real and living in the ocean, they certainly wouldn't be happy with Chicken of the Sea.

The seafood company uses a number of disastrous methods to catch its tuna, putting entire ocean ecosystems at risk. Greenpeace started a petition here on Change.org demanding that Chicken of the Sea stop its unsustainable and destructive practices.

There are a few specific fishing methods Greenpeace wants Chicken of the Sea to stop. First, the non-profit wants the company to stop using "fish aggregating devices" (FADs), which are essentially objects floating in the open sea. They are designed to catch skipjack tuna, but a variety of fish and other animals flock to these FADs  for shade and protection. When fishing boats scoop up the catch, they get a tremendous amount of bycatch, including sharks, rays, and juvenile yellowfin and bigeye tuna, all of which are in real trouble. FADs increase bycatch by 500 to 1,000 percent when compared to nets set on free-swimming schools of skipjack tuna.

Smithfield Foods, the world's largest pork producer, heard you, and it's making some progress in phasing out cruel, unsanitary gestation crates.

You see back in 2007, Smithfield announced a goal to phase out all of its gestation crates — tiny two-foot-by-seven-foot stalls that factory farms use to confine pregnant female pigs — by 2017.  In 2009, however, Smithfield changed its mind, and said it could no longer meet its own goals because of poor economic conditions. The company recently boasted record profits, yet it still hasn't come back to its initial plan to ditch all gestation crates.

That lack of commitment prompted the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) to start a campaign on Change.org urging the company to go back to its original goal. Dennis Treacy, Smithfield's Senior Vice President of Corporate Affairs and Chief Sustainability Officer, recently responded to HSUS's campaign. Here's what he had to say:

"While the recession that impacted pork producers nationwide has set us back somewhat in reaching our original goal of 2017, our commitment has never wavered, as evidenced by our progress  in converting 30 percent of our sows to group housing by the end of 2011 and our commitment to spend more than $300 million to achieve our stated goal." He encourages anyone interested to read more at www.smithfieldcommitment.com.

It took more than a year of organizing.

15,000 people signed a Change.org petition demanding that Gainesville feed all who are hungry.

Dozens of local demonstrations were held, many organized by local college students and the Coalition to End the Meal Limits NOW.

Change.org members even phone-banked the City Commission, demanding to know when a vote would be scheduled.

And finally, on August 18th, the City Commission voted unanimously to end the limit.

Instead,  soup kitchens will be allowed to serve food for a 3-hour period each day, a compromise suggested by Kent Vann, Executive Director of the St. Francis House soup kitchen, which was at the center of this debate.  The city attorney's office will now have to draft a new ordinance and the commission will have to approve it. At long last, Gainesville can move past the ill-conceived meal limit.

Gainesville isn't the only Florida city stopping those trying to help the hungry. Orlando has a city ordinance on the books that requires permits for groups distributing food to large groups in parks within two miles of City Hall. Any one group is limited to 2 permits per year. The city arrested more than two dozen Food Not Bombs activists during their twice weekly food sharing in Lake Eola park. Since the arrests, the group has begun sharing food outside city hall as a compromise of sorts. "However, we still haven't gotten the ordinance repealed," says Thomas Adriaan Hellinger, Secretary of Orlando Food Not Bombs. You can help with this campaign, too, by signing this petition demanding the Mayor repeal the city ordinance.

Photo Credit: bsabarnowl

This Monday, August 15th, the California Senate Appropriations Committee will vote on A.B. 376, a bill that would ban the sale and trade of shark fins in the state. California controls an estimated 85 percent of the shark fin trade in the U.S., so this legislation will undoubtedly have a major impact.

Procuring shark fins involves an incredibly cruel process called "finning," where fishermen cut off the fins and tails of live sharks and then throw them back into the ocean to drown or bleed to death. Finning is decimating shark populations, killing nearly 73 million sharks every year and causing declines of 90 percent in some species' populations. The loss of a top predator like sharks wreaks havocs on ocean ecosystems, and a few states and countries have already enacted legislation banning the sale of shark fins.

California's shark fin ban already passed the State Assembly by a healthy vote of 65-8, with bipartisan support. But now the fate of AB 376 lies in the Senate. First, the Appropriations Committee will take up the bill on the 15th, then the full Senate in early November if AB 376 passes in committee. It won't be an easy battle to win, though: Appropriations Committee member Ted Lieu (D-Torrance) believes that the ban would unintentionally discriminate against Chinese Americans. He has suggested banning fishing for sharks off California or banning the sale of all shark products in the state, neither of which have a shot at becoming law.

Wow! Workers at IKEA's Swedwood plant in Danville, Virginia just won an incredible victory. After a vote of 221 workers (76%) who voted for the union and 69 against, the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAMAW) will now represent the employees at IKEA's only U.S. manufacturing plant. Reports BWI, "The workers have voted for a union but clearly the struggle is not over as the next major hurdle for the workers is to negotiate a successful collective bargaining agreement that improves worker safety, promotes respectful treatment, and puts an end to favoritism and discrimination." Change.org members will continue to support Danville's workers as they negotiate a fair contract with Swedwood.

It wasn't an easy victory. Workers at the plant, which makes wooden furniture for IKEA, started complaining about racial discrimination and safety violations at Swedwood more than a year ago, and they turned to the machinists union in hopes of improving their workplace. But Swedwood wouldn't allow union organizers to come in and speak with their employees. In fact, despite IKEA's pro-union reputation in Europe, they hired the notorious union-busting law firm Jackson Lewis to consult for the company and hold captive audience meetings to intimidate workers.

Today, Swedwood workers prevailed and voted to join a union. That was, in part, because they knew so many of us were standing behind them. Not only did more than 84,000 supporters sign a petition demanding a fair election without company interference, we also ran a full page ad in the local newspaper with all those signatures letting the workers know that we were with them.

Congratulations again to the workers at Swedwood. Thanks to your courage, you now have a voice at the table, the right to bargain as a group with management, and a real way to address your concerns at your workplace.

photo credit: MikeWu