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TechnoratiChild Labor Behind Firestone Tires
As people around the world commemorate World Day Against Child Labor on June 12, the Firestone Tire and Rubber Company recognized the day by continuing its 81-year tradition of exploiting workers in Liberia.
Firestone has been operating a rubber plantation in Harbel, Liberia since 1926 where workers wake up early every morning to tap rubber trees in order to meet an unreasonably high production quota. By Firestone Natural Rubber CEO Dan Adomitis' own admission on CNN, it would take a tapper over 21 hours every day to meet their quota, which is why workers are forced to bring their children and wives to work or their already low salaries will be halved. As part of the outdated production system, children carry heavy loads, come into close contact with toxic pesticides and often work for 12 hours a day.
Workers live in shacks, most of which have not been renovated since the 1920s, without any running water, indoor latrines or electricity while managers live on huge land plots with all the modern amenities — including golf courses! As recently confirmed by the Liberian EPA, the company dumps toxic chemicals directly into the Farmington River which is used by the local community for fishing and bathing. As a result of the modern day slavery conditions facing workers, the company has been sued in US courts and was also bestowed with the Public Eye Award for Worst Global Corporation this past January.
In order to stand up for their internationally recognized rights, workers have been organizing to hold new union elections at the end of June so that they can finally be represented by a truly independent and democratic body. When the company management attempted to use legal roadblocks to stop the elections, the workers went on strike in the end of April. On Friday, April 27, police forces were brought in and workers were brutally attacked. Police officials fired tear gas into crowded settlements filled with children, women, the elderly and Firestone workers alike. Six workers were seriously injured and roughly 13 were arrested. The attack on workers' right to organize raises serious concerns about the neutrality of upcoming union elections.
Negotiations are also currently taking place between Firestone and the government over the terms of the concession area which Firestone controls. The previous concession agreement was signed under a transitional government and heavily favored Firestone. Now that Liberia has a democratic government — and the first woman leader in Africa — there is hope that the new concession agreement will produce greater benefits for the population that produces such immense wealth for Firestone. Unfortunately, reports from the negotiations raise serious concerns about whether or not Firestone is negotiating with the government in good faith.
US consumers should be shocked that the ubiquitous Firestone tires are produced under these exploitative labor conditions. Imagine children as young as 10 years old forced to carry 70 pounds barrels of latex, coming into direct contact with toxic pesticides. The situation on Firestone's rubber plantation is completely unacceptable under all international legal and moral standards. It is up to consumers to demand that Firestone advance workers' rights this World Day Against Child Labor instead of rolling them back.
With the concession agreement negotiations taking place and new union elections approaching quickly, the next few weeks present an historic opportunity for the people of Liberia to hold Firestone accountable. More broadly, Firestone in LiberiaLiberia and exert their power over post-conflict countries during any negotiations. Here in the US, we need to send a strong message that companies like Firestone cannot violate human rights with impunity. That is why the Stop Firestone Coalition is currently planning actions leading up to July 26, Liberia's Independence Day. We invite readers to join us in these and the many other actions we have planned. Visit the Stop Firestone website and tell Firestone: 80 years of exploitation are enough!
Tim Newman is a Campaigns Assistant at the International Labor Rights Forum, a member of the Stop Firestone Coalition. For more information on the Stop Firestone campaign, please visit the website at http://www.stopfirestone.org. For more information on child labor in other industries, please visit http://www.laborrights.org. He can be reached at tim.newman [at] ilrf.org.
7 Comments so far
Show AllCheck out this blog entry about Firestone Natural Rubber CEO Dan Adomitis and his PR disaster!
http://laborrightsblog.typepad.com/international_labor_right/2007/06/magazine_highli.html
Unknown-Arts is exactly right that the immigration issue boils down to our free2raid agreements. It shouldn't be legal to import products made under different labor rights. If rights differ, then they're not human rights at all, but citizen or class privileges. I was recently looking for sneakers, and found a Danish brand, Ecco. I was told that Danish factories are required to adhere to Danish environmental and labor standards no matter where they're located. So even though the factory's in China, it's still under Danish law. Makes sense, eh?
The ILRF site that Tim is part of has a wonderful 2-part article on Liberia by Zadie Smith. If I remember correctly, unemployment in Liberia is something like 85%. Firestone's owner leased this land from Liberia, then forced them to accept a loan they didn't need or want. When they refused, he threatened to get the US to invade. Once the market for rubber collapsed, this onerous debt kept them unable to negotiate, as he knew it would. Forgiving Liberia's debt (which is a ridiculous way to put it, since the unscrupulous lenders should be criminalized based on their methods and motives) is an important part of the solution.
Back to the pragmatic, what can we do? I took part in the Firestone action last summer, getting my daughters to write letters also, but Firestone's lawyers were well-prepared. I've had a couple of thoughts since then. One is that the Firestone dealers are in an inflexible position - they can't change who they buy from. The independent tire dealers can. The one I talked to said that he would consider a boycott if he wasn't the only one. However, he said that the only reason he buys Firestone is to replace 1 when the car has 3 others. So he's stuck too.
To go a layer deeper, maybe we should find out which car manufacturers use Firestone tires and start bringing publicity about the child slavery they're riding on. Which one uses the baby in the tire image? A black kid carrying a tire with that baby in it would be great. The car manufacturers have flexibility in who they buy from, if we make the cost of using Firestone prohibitive in bad publicity.
Another pet peeve - sure the US shouldn't allow these imports, but why don't our unions stand behind the right to unionize by collectively refusing to buy the products? In CA, the teacher's union is the most powerful union in the state. If teachers and schools used their influence and dollars to say a flat-out NO to the products of child labor, we could end it within a year. The same goes for multinationals that use violence against union organization - Coca-cola, Chaquita, and General Mills are three that give schools kickbacks while kicking the unions apart. If teachers and parents were willing to push the PTA's and Federation of Teachers, and challenge our own hypocrisy, we would be an unstoppable force.
This article upsets me so much I wish I could I could do the FLINTSTONE thing with my car, and use my legs to maneuver it...
And what is the Liberian government's role in this exploitation of it's citizens?
It is ironic that Liberia was "founded" as a haven for former US slaves. Modern slavery has followed them from the United States to Liberia. Yesterday, an article appeared on Common Dreams, "A Sanitized Betrayal of America's History", about immigration. I argued that immigration of uneducated workers is no longer appreciated by the US because the jobs themselves are immigrating to find labor free of the United States restrictions on standards (You can visit the Unknown Arts blog (www.unknown-arts.org "Jobs to Immigrants: No, no. Wait Right There and We'll Come to You!") or scroll down in the above mentioned article if you are interested in my full comments). This article is a perfect example of why we need to move from a debate on immigration to debate of global justice for labor. Knowing the history of Liberia and that of Firestone (or any Multinational Corporation, for that matter), it is easy to imagine that Firestone is not just forcing children to labor on behalf of their families, but that they are complicit in the repressive regimes that have ruled Liberia since the 1980s.
Firestone has done its best to destory US labor unions and it is clear from the example of Liberia where Firestone would drive the US workforce without these Unions. It is important that we not allow this kind of injustice in any part of the globe, because, in this era of global labor markets, it is this kind of labor against which US workers must compete.
Firestone was part of the little publicized conspiracy against the mass transit systems of the United States (some 70 years ago) that landed us in this current system wherein we have almost no option but to own a car. The list of co-conspirators (convicted in a US court of law, for those of you unfamiliar with the case) will contain familiar names, up and down the fossil fuel based industry of the automobile. As these companies seem still to be working in collusion (please see the film "Who Killed the Electric Car," and ask yourself if the behavior of GM can possibly be in their OWN interest), I feel we need to take on the automotive industry. It is time to move this country to a more responsible mode of transit and to toss the automobile--and all the evils that come with it--over the side. For the sake of Liberia and her children; for the sake of the US workers and their children. For the sake of the health of our planet. We need to refuse to participate in the automotive paradigm anymore.
Child labor advocates have had little or no power fighting the big corporations in these countries, as the families who put their kids in are forced to do so. Wage levels these countries are so low that families produce kids to earn the extra income they need to feed their own stomachs (or addictions?).
Why are the wage levels so low?
Other artcicles today about corporate money laundering on Common Dreams might help us understand that.
It is the same reason that we have corporations running the health care system in this country
The Car Culture is to blame for so many of our societies ills. But I work in one town and live in another.
The Open road is a very steep Luxury. The car companies are trying their best to keep that reality from manifesting.
"It is up to consumers to demand that Firestone advance workers' rights..."
Consumers can certainly help to raise awareness of the issue, but the way to promote justice for workers is to enact trade rules so that imports will be blocked unless the product
1. Is made without child labor.
2. Production does not pollute the environment.
3. Adequate health and safety provisions are in place.
4. Workers have the right to collective bargaining.