http://www.inthesetimes.com/archives/tags/corporations/ In These Times features award-winning investigative reporting about corporate malfeasance and government wrongdoing, insightful analysis of national and international affairs, and sharp cultural criticism about events and ideas that matter. en-us Expression Engine jessica@inthesetimes.com seamus@inthesetimes.com Mon, 20 Jan 2003 01:15:01 -0600 http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/422/bush_attack_on_older_workers/ President Bush may or may not go to war against Iraq, but we do know that he has already declared war against the economic well-being of the middle class and working families of this country. While he cuts back on Medicare and the needs of veterans, he wants even more tax breaks for the very richest people in this country. While he pushes efforts to privatize Social Security, there is no attempt to raise the minimum wage above its paltry $5.15 an hour. While he expands disastrous trade policies that have already cost us millions of decent-paying manufacturing jobs, he is proposing to slash the pay and benefits of federal employees through a massive and dangerous outsourcing scheme. While our… corporations economy labor politics David Moberg Mon, 07 Jul 2003 21:00:00 -0500 http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/454/laws_of_empire/ In 1996, Burmese peasant villagers filed a lawsuit against Unocal. They charged the U.S. oil company with knowingly collaborating with the country’s repressive military government to forcibly relocate peasants living in the path of Unocal’s oil pipeline project. The military used these peasants as slave labor to clear a path for the pipeline and build service roads. The suit claimed that those who refused to work were often killed, beaten, tortured, or raped. Documents filed in the case indicate that Unocal had been well-informed by its advisors of how the military operated, and knew of its history of using slave labor. The villagers, who had fled to Thailand, had no legal recourse under the Burmese military dictatorship, but they did… corporations economy government: judiciary international affairs David Moberg Tue, 09 Dec 2003 15:37:01 -0600 http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/489/corporate_medicare/ The Medicare “reform” bill recently passed by Congress manipulates the cost and quality of health care provided to older Americans in order to maximize the profit margins of HMOs, insurance corporations and drug companies—the very same entities that poured money into congressional election campaigns. Such political contributions are of course legal—a legislatively sanctioned form of bribery that corrupts the democratic process. In the case of the Medicare bill and its much hyped prescription drug benefit, this institutional corruption will prove lethal, literally, to seniors forced to choose between buying life-saving drugs and other of life’s necessities—food, shelter, heat. The role that the current campaign finance system played in the Medicare bill battle was the story behind the headlines. Consider the… corporations economy government: congress medical and health politics David Moberg Tue, 17 Feb 2004 15:10:00 -0600 http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/398/unocal_off_the_hook/ For now, California energy giant Unocal Corp. is not liable for the rape, murder, torture and forced labor that occurred during construction of the $1.2 billion, 40-mile Yadana natural gas pipeline in Burma, now Myanmar. On January 23, Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Victoria Chaney concluded that Unocal could not be held accountable for the actions of its subsidiaries—but ruled that the case could move forward if plaintiff attorneys used other means to prove libability. The court found that victims’ testimony was well documented and that “the evidence does suggest that Unocal knew that forced labor was being utilized and that they benefited from the practice.” The notoriously brutal Burmese military was contracted to act as security on the… civil liberties corporations economy southeast asia David Moberg Tue, 24 Feb 2004 11:37:00 -0600 http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/399/cokes_killers/ Coca-Cola representatives told a fact-finding delegation that its employees may have collaborated with paramilitaries in the deaths and torture of Colombian union members. Despite the possible collaboration, Coca-Cola officials in Colombia have not undertaken any internal or external investigation into the assaults against its employees. The company’s Colombian representatives insist any contact with paramilitaries, widely blamed for killing seven Coke unionists and thousands of others in recent decades, was unauthorized, according to a report released by Hiram Monserrate. This New York councilmember led a January delegation of U.S. unionists and students to Colombia. In a written response to the delegation, Coca-Cola says it “does not anticipate supporting in any way any form of ‘independent fact-finding delegation to Colombia,’” and that… civil liberties corporations economy labor south america David Moberg Tue, 02 Mar 2004 09:00:00 -0600 http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/711/war_profiteering_and_you/ So the vice president’s former employer’s been in the news a lot lately. Bilking the U.S. government for millions in Kuwaiti oil imports to Iraq, turning the other way as employees take bribes, overcharging the Army for food served in mess halls. It gets to feeling like the whole “reconstruction effort” is just some bloated, corrupt muddle of patronage and war profiteering. But then comes February’s “Rebuilding Iraq: Small Business Subcontracting Opportunities,” convened near O’Hare Airport outside Chicago. Sponsored by the Small Business Administration (SBA) and featuring speakers from—you guessed it—Halliburton, among others, the daylong seminar was intended to show that profiting from the Bush administration’s foreign policy is anyone’s game. “We are literally here at the direction of the… corporations economy government: administration war in iraq David Moberg Thu, 04 Mar 2004 09:00:00 -0600 http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/148/ghost_in_the_machine/ There’s a discordant note in the title of distinguished journalist William Greider’s new book about fundamental problems of American political and economic life. Does capitalism have a soul? No, Greider acknowledges, but he thinks it could and believes very tentative efforts are under way in this country to implant one, even if the host doesn’t want it. As evidence, he writes, American capitalism produced material abundance but also created inequality, insecurity, anxiety and ecological destruction at home and around the world. Americans have a great deal of certain freedoms, but they are channeled into the consumer marketplace and the model of master and servant still defines the employment relationship. There is formal democracy but no meaningful debate on the country’s… corporations economy David Moberg Wed, 24 Mar 2004 09:00:00 -0600 http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/154/false_advertising/ I recently gave a speech in Cleveland. I feel so safe there. The bi-partisanship of Neocons working in perfect harmony with the Christian Right has made this city so safe that Cleveland’s mayor is actually laying off police persons and fire fighters. There can only be one word for a community that secure: “Utopia.” So many American communities are now such Utopias that only one issue remains to be dealt with in the next presidential election: Is the United States of America for or against homosexual marriage? I’m going to tell you some news. No, I am not running for President, although I do know that a sentence, if it is to be complete, must have both a subject and… corporations economy David Moberg Fri, 26 Mar 2004 16:33:00 -0600 http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/716/bought_and_paid_for/ It’s official: President Bush’s re-election campaign is underway. For those who haven’t been paying attention—and Bush, Cheney and their corporate cronies certainly hope you haven’t—the president officially launched his campaign at a March 20 “kickoff” rally in Orlando. “I’m looking forward to this campaign ahead,” Bush told the assembled party faithful between chants of “Four more years!” and “USA! USA!” “With you at my side, there is no doubt in my mind we’re headed to a victory.” Bush may claim the “political season” is just beginning, but he has spent the past nine months crisscrossing the country on a dash for cash, personally headlining 45 million-dollar fundraising events on the way to amassing an unprecedented $170 million campaign war chest.… corporations economy media politics regulation election 2004 David Moberg Wed, 31 Mar 2004 17:14:00 -0600 http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/717/no_hoice/ Jim, John, Alice, Sam and Helen may carry the world’s most dangerous genetic markers. They are the Waltons, heirs to the global destructive force called Wal-Mart. With more than $100 billion in personal assets among them, the five Waltons occupy positions six through 10 in the Forbes billionaires rankings, twice as rich as Microsoft’s Bill Gates, the guy at the top. Collectively, they are antisocial malevolence with a last name. These spawn of Bentonville, Arkansas harbor an abiding hatred for the public sphere: business regulatory controls, nondiscrimination laws, wage and workplace safety standards, the social safety net—all of it—as expressed through the operations of their retail empire, which is both the largest employer in the United States and biggest importer… corporations economy politics David Moberg Wed, 31 Mar 2004 17:24:01 -0600 http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/409/cola_wars/ Protesting a mass firing of union leaders, 30 Coca-Cola workers in Colombia began a hunger strike March 15, which was met by death threats from paramilitaries known to have worked on the company’s behalf in the past. A group of 91 workers—nearly three-fourths union leaders—was dismissed in February after Coca-Cola closed several plants. Protesters say the company targets union shops, and the hunger strikers in eight Colombian cities demand reinstatement of the fired workers. A group affiliated with the country’s most notorious paramilitaries, the AUC, released a statement declaring war on the union leaders and promising to “finish them all off” if they do not leave the country in three months. Paramilitaries acting with at least tacit approval of Colombian… corporations economy labor David Moberg Thu, 15 Apr 2004 08:00:00 -0500 http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/720/downsizing_the_ceo/ The omnipotent corporate chief executive emerged in the ’90s as a popular economic superhero, rivaling the high-tech nerd as creator of the economic boom. But that came to a crashing finale with misdeeds at Enron and dozens of other high-profile businesses—when a mix of executive greed, lawbreaking and deregulation built up then burst the stock market bubble. In the angry aftermath, the labor movement worked closely with public employee pension funds to create a new model of accountability for corporate executives, and this spring the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is expected to issue new rules that will make it easier for shareholders to nominate directors. “This is the most important corporate governance reform to correct past abuses that we’ve… corporations economy labor David Moberg Mon, 19 Apr 2004 08:00:00 -0500 http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/414/in_sheeps_clothing/ Italian-owned Benetton Group became the largest landowner in Argentina in 1997 when it bought Compania Tierras del Sur Argentina S.A. and took over 2.2 million acres and 280,000 sheep to produce wool for its international clothing line. Despite advertisements promoting racial harmony and diversity, Benetton made enemies with the native Mapuche population—and this dispute has turned into a lawsuit over property. Atilio Curinanco and his wife Rosa Nahuelquir requested permission in early 2002 to start a family business on a seventeen acre plot called Santa Rosa in front of one of Benetton’s properties. Because Benetton’s land is well fenced in other areas and Santa Rosa was known among Mapuche to be unoccupied, the family believed the plot was available. As… corporations economy south america David Moberg Mon, 17 May 2004 09:38:01 -0500 http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/740/if_shirts_could_speak/ I’ve just returned from Bangladesh, and I am angry. Not, of course, with the people. They were incredibly warm and open, inviting us into their homes and sitting with us into the night in poorly lit windowless union offices telling us stories of their lives as garment workers. I am angry because of what is happening to these workers. There are 2 million garment workers in Bangladesh, and 85 percent are young women 16 to 25 years old. Each year they sew $2.8 billion worth of clothing for export to Europe and another $2 billion to the United States. One worker explained their situation like this: “We feel like prisoners. There is no value in our lives. We are like… civil liberties corporations economy international affairs labor David Moberg Thu, 10 Jun 2004 14:55:00 -0500 http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/774/the_wal_mart_effect/ Walter “The General” Brooks stood amid the vacant buildings of a former Reyerson Steel plant on Chicago’s South Side, the projected site of a shopping center anchored by a Wal-Mart discount store. “We need jobs,” exclaimed Brooks, owner of a nearby fried chicken restaurant. “There are no industrial jobs around. They’re all overseas.” But Wal-Mart may not be the answer to his prayers. In late May the Chicago City Council narrowly turned down plans for a Wal-Mart at this site, while approving a Wal-Mart in another largely black neighborhood on the city’s West Side at another closed factory site. Wal-Mart and its supporters, including local aldermen and some clergy and community leaders, said that its two stores would bring nearly… corporations economy labor David Moberg Mon, 14 Jun 2004 12:05:00 -0500 http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/780/detention_center_blues/ On April 7, politicians and law enforcement officials gathered in Tacoma, Washington, to celebrate the opening of the Department of Homeland Security’s newest gem, a $115 million facility called the Northwest Detention Center. The building, designed to hold up to 700 undocumented immigrants awaiting deportation, was nearly two years in the works, and supporters hoped it would provide a much-needed economic boon to the region. Later that week, the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division sent a report to Maryland Governor Robert Ehrlich, documenting the results of an investigation into two of the state’s juvenile halls. In stomach-churning detail, investigators described how employees brutally beat youths at the facilities, and how basic living conditions didn’t meet even the lowest constitutional standards.… civil liberties corporations economy government: judiciary international affairs David Moberg Tue, 06 Jul 2004 03:26:00 -0500 http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/823/the_gap_minds_itself/ “When I decided to join Gap Inc. in the fall of 2002,” writes Paul Presser, president and CEO of the clothing giant behind the Gap, Old Navy and Banana Republic brands, “one of the first things my teenage daughter asked was, ‘Doesn’t Gap use sweatshops?’ ” An aggressive global movement for workers’ rights has effectively pushed this question into consumer consciousness, and it has haunted Gap for nearly a decade. In May, the company released its first Social Responsibility Report, providing a window into how far that movement has come—and highlighting challenges that confront apparel workers in an industry where “remaining competitive” fuels a search for ever-cheaper production. Gap’s 40-page report attempts to take the sweatshop issue head on. Several… civil liberties corporations economy international affairs labor David Moberg Wed, 06 Oct 2004 07:00:00 -0500 http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/1124/environmental_hogwash/ Chicken has taken on a whole new meaning for Faye Lear, of White Plains, in western Kentucky, who lives 300 feet from two giant barns containing thousands of birds laying eggs for Tyson Foods. There are the sickening wafts of ammonia and bird feather dust that chase her inside from her front porch. Clouds of well-fed flies swarm her car windows. Once a year, when the barns are emptied for cleaning, mass infestations of mice overrun the neighborhood. “It’s like an open sewer for a big city,” says Lear, who works as a nurse. “It’s nauseating, it burns your eyes. I wouldn’t call them a farm—they’re like an industry.” Across the country, thousands of these “factory farms”—each warehousing thousands of… corporations economy environment regulation David Moberg Mon, 28 Mar 2005 06:59:00 -0600 http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/2038/the_dead_hand_of_disney/ It’s a strange thing when a letter from the school principal arrives on lime green and aqua stationery. Stranger still when the postmark is Burbank, California, and the return address reads “Imagineer That!” But it was real. The communique trumpeted “Disney Channel is coming to our school to help spark our creativity”—in a pre-packaged 90-minute assembly. “Imagineer That! The Creativity Adventure” is designed to “help empower students to unleash their creative powers.” It folds “an imagination skills building workshop” and a sighting of Disney Channel star Ricky Ullman into the middle-school day, and follows up with a celebratory evening “wrap party.” Full participation is guaranteed by a chance to win a family vacation to (where else?) Walt Disney World. The… corporations education David Moberg Wed, 27 Apr 2005 07:00:00 -0500 http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/2081/gm_healthcare_double_standard/ What a difference a border makes. General Motors executives say soaring health costs in their U.S. plants are forcing them to seek health benefits give-backs from unionized workers, yet they insist national healthcare is not an appropriate solution for America. As company spokeswoman Sherri Woodruff puts it, “GM thinks there has to be closer cooperation between the government and the private sector, but we don’t advocate a single-payer system for the U.S.” Yet just across the Detroit River in Ontario, the company’s subsidiary—like the subsidiaries of Ford, DaimlerChrysler and other U.S. firms————strongly endorses Canada’s national health system. “The Canadian plan has been a significant advantage for investing in Canada,” says GM Canada spokesman David Patterson, noting that in the United… corporations medical and health David Moberg