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Tip Me's Digital Tipping Solution Lets You Tip the Workers Who Made Your Clothes

Katia Mullova

December 03, 2020 |

Reset |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Germany

To mitigate the problem of unfair supply chains, Tip Me allows consumers to send money directly to the workers creating the merchandise in factories halfway across the world. Brands pay a fee to sign up for the system "in order to boost their ethical credibility" which provides funding for Tip Me, allowing the company to handle the logistics of getting tips into the hands of those for whom they are intended. Half of all shoppers have used the tipping feature when presented with the opportunity.

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Worker-led programs like Milk with Dignity are key to protecting dairy farm workers

Aaron Mok

November 19, 2020 |

Prism |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Vermont

A first-of-its-kind worker-led program in Vermont is helping dairy migrant workers to "hold farmers, corporations, and suppliers in the dairy industry accountable for the rights of workers in their supply-chains through a legally-binding agreement." Although not all dairy farm operations have joined in the program as participants, it has been enacted on 64 farms and helped bolster wages and housing situations for migrant farmers.

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How Essential Food Workers Are Fighting Back

Nadra Nittle

July 31, 2020 |

Civil Eats |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Nevada

Meatpacking workers protested Covid-19 safety concerns and a coalition of advocacy groups filed a civil rights complaint with the government accusing Tyson and JBS USA of racial discrimination during the pandemic because the safety issues disproportionately impact line workers, who are largely people of color. Nevada’s Culinary Union also sued Las Vegas Strip casinos for unsafe working conditions. Two casinos have been dropped from the suit after deciding to negotiate privately with the union and Tyson has since instituted some safety measures, but broader impacts of the complaints remain to be seen.

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Why Japan's Jobless Rate Is Just 2.6% While the U.S.'s Has Soared

Ben Dooley Hisako Ueno

June 20, 2020 |

The New York Times |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Japan

Japan's unemployment has barely grown during the COVID-19 crisis, thanks in large part to a business culture that prizes employees' interests over short-term profits. Much of the country's economy remained open in the pandemic's early months. But the jobless picture was aided even more by policies based on a tradeoff between ordinarily high demands on workers in return for job security. The same policies have produced a tight job market that can make companies risk averse in their hiring. But the net effect during the crisis has been much less economic pain inflicted on workers.

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Coronavirus concerns revive labor organizing

Carl Segerstrom

June 18, 2020 |

High Country News |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Washington

Employees at 7 Yakima Valley fruit packing plants, who are predominately Latinx, went on strike to protest inadequate protection and pay during the Covid-19 pandemic. Agricultural workers accounted for nearly one-fifth of the county’s positive cases. The worker initiated strikes and picket lines were supported by community members, union representatives, and non-profit legal centers. Workers returned to work after gaining concessions on better pay, safety protections, and the formation of worker advocacy committees. The state also issued new workplace safety standards for agricultural workers after protests.

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Organizing for Help in a Pandemic

Madeline St. Amour

June 16, 2020 |

Inside Higher Ed |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States

Graduate students at several major universities organized to secure benefits during the Covid-19 pandemic. For example, the University of Illinois Graduate Employees Organization fought for and won the expansion of mental health services and summer health care coverage, as well as free summer housing for international graduate students who cannot return home due to travel restrictions. After graduate students at the University of Texas Austin demonstrated and 1,400 signed a petition, the dean granted expanded funding opportunities and a commitment to finding a healthcare plan that ensures no coverage gap.

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Out Of The Ruins

Patrick Chalmers

June 07, 2020 |

All Hands On |

Documentary |

Over 15 Minutes

Response Location: Greece

Protests against severe “austerity measures” that were passed after the 2011 economic recession resulted in worker and housing cooperatives to address labor and housing inequities. Citizens protested by gathering in public squares and holding rallies where speakers were randomly selected from the crowd. This is based on an ancient democratic process where citizens are selected at random to speak their mind in regards to politics and public affairs. The organizations that emerged practiced participatory democracy through horizontal leadership, though many were eventually shut down by the government.

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Overworked, underpaid and lonely: Conservationists find a new community online

Jeremy Hance

March 23, 2020 |

Mongabay |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Australia

Lonely Conservationists, an online forum that unites conservationists from around the world, has more than 2,500 members and 55 posts by conservationists who share their experiences of being exhausted, undervalued, underpaid, and isolated. Many members struggle with their mental health and the online community has provided a venue where they can get support from other people who understand their experiences. The group cannot solve all of the problems faced by conservationists, but members report building trust and increasing confidence by speaking their truths, with many going on to find jobs.

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Less is more: Lithuanian company's experiment with shorter working hours

Domantė Platūkytė

March 12, 2020 |

Lithuanian Radio and Television (LRT) |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Lithuania, Vilnius

A company in Lithuania cut back the work day from eight to six hours and noted an increase in morale without any negative impact on productivity. Employees reported a better work-life balance, reducing their stress and exhaustion and allowing them more time for activities that boost personal wellbeing.

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After #MeToo, This Group Has Nearly Erased Sexual Harassment in Farm Fields

Vera Liang Chang

March 09, 2020 |

Civil Eats |

Text |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Florida

The Fair Food Program, which educates and empowers farmworkers to report on-the-job sexual harassment, has all but eliminated sexual assaults at participating farms in an industry that otherwise is known for vast power imbalances between migrant labor and labor contractors. By giving employers key business incentives to participate and by cracking the code of silence among workers, the Coalition of Immokalee Workers-run FFP has protected employees by educating tens of thousands of them while enforcing standards through a rigorous investigation and hearings process.

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