Monday, November 26, 2012

112 killed in Garment Factory Fire: A Preview of what's Coming Back to America

101 years ago in New York City 146 workers, mainly teenage girls, were burned and asphyxiated to death or leapt to their death to avoid the flames from the 10-story Triangle Shirtwaist Factory. The owners in the Triangle Shirtwaist factory who had ordered the doors chained and exits locked, both survived the fire.

In Savar Bangladesh, 112 workers in a Garment Factory were burned to death in 2012. Investigators stated many workers were trapped in the eight-story building, which lacked emergency exits.

What's Past is Prologue...

It matters little if in 100 years time the "bad companies" are forced into bankruptcy while the "good companies" remain. What matters and what should always be paramount are people. Because of the incessant Union-bashing and Right-Wing efforts to deregulate and not enforce laws on Corporations, people are dying and massive damage is being wrought upon the Nation and Planet today.

Today, Corporate malfeasance is protected by the wholly owned and operated by the Rich, Republican Party and anyone who styles themselves a "Pro-Business" Democrat.

Led by their Political Guard Dogs and their toxic spewing Media Fawns, the Rich in this Nation are pushing to bring back the days of murderous Corporate Bondage and Neo-Feudalist Wage Slavery. 

Yesterday, on Meet The Press, Carly Fiorina showed the Republican push to destroy Unions is never-ending, “[I]t is not fair that public employee union pensions and benefits are so rich..."

Fiorina earned a $42,000,000 Golden Parachute for her tenure as CEO of Hewlett-Packard, which saw her eliminate the jobs of 18,000 American workers. She called her sending of American jobs overseas, "Right-Shoring". Already a millionaire, Carly Fiorina got around a $1200 bonus for all the Americans she 'Right-Shored' while at HP.

Republicans and their Rich Moneyed Masters hate that they can not treat American workers the same way they treat Bangladeshi workers, as disposable pawns.

But, Conservatives and Republicans don't care about the evil done by Corporations. Two workers for Black Elk energy Offshore LLC were killed, another is missing and three are seriously injured from an Oil Rig explosion in the Gulf. The Company was ordered to make immediate safety improvements to all Off-Shore Rigs.

Do you hear Faux News talking about this? No. Do you hear Right-Wing Toxic Radio talking about this? No. They are focused are trying to make their Benghazi Bullshit stick in the minds of their conservatives dupes and drones.

11 comments:

Silverfiddle said...

Yeah, conservatives are always campaigning on the rights of rich plutocrats to weld their emergency exits closed...

And workers are so much better off under Obama...

Now if only there were jobs...

But hey! Wall Street is doing great under Obama!

Grung_e_Gene said...

So who is responsible for the lack of jobs?

And if Wall Street is doing great under President Obama why aren't they creating jobs here in the US?

And yes, Mitt Romney's tax plan called for more off-shoring of jobs and a realignment of the Tax Codes to allow Corporations to funnel profits made from slave labor back into the US with ZERO taxes.

Patricia said...

I heard on NPR, on the way home from my 12 hr. day (no I'm not a nurse, I'm a graphic designer.) Anyway, Walmart is trying to distance themselves from this tragedy, by saying that a supplier subcontracted work, without their knowledge, which was a violation of their policies. Yeah right. Walmart wages, job conditions and inhumane hours are not the future, the future is now. Profit is king, while serfs are plentiful and expendable. We need a global union movement.

Grung_e_Gene said...

Patricia,

Wal-Mart the high cost of low prices.

Like the Walton family gives a shit. They need to make $$$! And the conservative Corporatists will bow down to them, will fight to protect their profits and sacrifice as many people as they need to.

Anonymous said...

The sad fact is, the GOP have wedded themselves to the ethics and goals of America's so-called "Gilded Age"....and that is still locked in a 19th century mind set that says a worker with ANY job is better off.

They have dedicatedly been trying to convince American labor of that for years (Bush praising a woman for having three jobs, as if she was ENJOYING that need) and shipping American jobs overseas where true desperation and low wages still rule the labor force.

But hey, Americans excuse themselves with the reasoning that they can't AFFORD more ethically constructed clothing. If I can't buy things made in other than sweatshops, I shop at Goodwill and the Salvation Army. Or I get out my machine and make it myself.

toma said...

Me too, hw, though I've left the Salvation Army behind because of their homophobia. So it's Goodwill for me. Plenty to choose from.

Tom Harper said...

This shouldn't be surprising, but I just saw an article today saying American shoppers are totally unaffected by the tragedy in Bangladesh. They're looking at clothing labels, seeing that an item was made in Bangladesh by this same subcontractor, and their only thoughts are "does this fit," "how much is it?" and "does it make me look fat?"

Tom Harper said...

This shouldn't be surprising, but I just saw an article today saying American shoppers are totally unaffected by the tragedy in Bangladesh. They're looking at clothing labels, seeing that an item was made in Bangladesh by this same subcontractor, and their only thoughts are "does this fit," "how much is it?" and "does it make me look fat?"

Grung_e_Gene said...

You know Tom in response to the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Negligent homicides and first-hand witnesses of Sweatshop conditions Rich women fought for Unions to be empowered because they (and Rich men) knew there were certain standards that had to be

They wanted their clothing and items made by Union workers.

Grung_e_Gene said...

*maintained.*

Green Eagle said...

A late comment, but I don't think you need to worry about 112 Americans being killed at work. They are all going to be shot to death before they get out of first grade.