On the 102nd anniversary of the Triangle Shirtwaist fire, Janine Jackson’s article in the last issue of Extra! (3/13) is a sobering reminder that not that much has changed in the last century as far as worker safety is concerned:
What should be done to prevent incidents like the January 26 fire at the Smart Fashion Export factory in Dhaka, Bangladesh, in which at least seven garment workers (three of them teenage girls) were killed, their escape impeded by a blocked exit and the absence of the most rudimentary fire safety equipment?
The answer for many would be: whatever is necessary. But to hear elite media tell it, it’s complicated—so much so that it’s not even clear who the victims were: the women crushed to death escaping flames, or the system that exploits and endangers them. Or else why would the New York Times (1/27/13) report begin, “In the latest blow to Bangladesh’s garment industry…”?
That’s standard language of course, but not innocuous…. Coverage that’s framed this way seems unlikely to conclude that industry as currently conducted is itself the problem.
Another perennial is AP’s conclusion (1/27/13) that the nightmare at Smart is “raising questions about safety in Bangladesh’s garment industry.” One might say rather that it answered some; like, who is closer to the mark—activists who argue that transnational corporations’ relentless search for the lowest production costs inevitably results in cut corners, abuse and exploitation? Or owners who repeatedly assure that “clothes are manufactured in safe factories that are inspected through regular audits” (New York Times, 1/28/13)?
Corpress Rule Number 4
(Or is it 3?)
If you can’t ignore it
Obfuscate it
I still have to shake my head at the greed of the people who run the Factories. It turns out that the Father of my Mom-in-law was one of the Union Organizers for the those Women in the Triangle Factory fire.
Also lets not forget that in spite of the fact that fire was across the ocean, the same exact type of incident happened on Bill Clinton’s watch at one of the food processing plants that was under one of his ‘buddies’. The owners payed such poor wages that some of the workers were taken the discards of the manufacturing process at Tyson Chicken if I recall correctly, and they had illegally locked the fire door and were too concerned with profit margins to maintain the fire suppression equipment. It was reported here at F.A.I.R. and KPFA when it happened.
So it isn’t like it can’t or hasn’t happen here again; until we take the power away from the greedy bastards in charge, and kick them out, we are going to find the “people” killed for greed.
We need a return to a labor beat…
We have to be ever vigilant against those who want to ignore anything and anyone but their profits. The bottom line is profit, not human life. So we can never let our guard down.
Chalk up another victory for the non union, lowest wage paid, work ’em til they drop crowd. Just like the Hostess cake story, those at the top get the profits while those who do the work get screwed over.
Until Americans quit buying their crap, they won’t change a thing.