Amazon’s Exploitation, Guatemala Protests, & Risky Bird Migration
October 11, 2023
The Prime Way To Cut Costs
Amazon, McDonald’s, and other Western firms have been linked to the labor trafficking of workers in Saudi Arabia, according to an investigation by The Guardian, NBC News, and other media groups. The corporations, who work with labor agents to staff their operations in places like Saudi Arabia, often pull workers from poorer families living in countries like Nepal, the Philippines, and India.
Those workers, looking to make more money for their families, are brought to Saudi Arabia only after paying $800 to $2,000 in recruiting fees. Once they’ve reached their destination, they’re coerced into signing employment contracts (without being able to read them) before being put to work, where they’re often abused by bosses for not working hard enough. “They wanted us not to take breaks when there was a high work demand,” said one worker caught up in the scheme. “They would stand near restrooms and water stations because workers are afraid of them. Many times, I waited half an hour or an hour to go to the restroom because they were there.”
When, say, an Amazon warehouse shuts down, they are often forced to pay their labor agents months’ worth of wages in order to move back home. For context, a Nepali farming family earns about $300 in income per month, while Nepali contract workers in Saudi Arabia earn about $350 a month (direct Amazon employees were paid $800 to $1,300 a month).
In a statement released regarding its hiring practices in 2022, Amazon said that its internal standards “recognize domestic and foreign migrant workers’ unique vulnerability” and “make clear that workers may not be charged recruitment fees at any point in the recruitment process.” However, it also stated that “our supply chain audit process and our own investigation surfaced violations of our standards” in Saudi Arabia, prompting internal action to tackle the issue.
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Arévalo’s Delayed Arrival
- In August, Bernardo Arévalo took Guatemalan politics by surprise, winning the country’s presidential election in a landslide. Since then, Guatemala’s Supreme Electoral Tribunal has suspended Arévalo’s Movimiento Semilla (Seed Movement) party for allegedly being improperly registered ahead of the election. In response, Arévalo’s supporters began protesting in the streets last week, calling for the resignation of Attorney-General Consuelo Porras, who they say is blocking the democratic election process.
- Arévalo – a left-wing candidate who has promised to fight corruption, create a universal healthcare system, and better fund the country’s education system – has described the incumbent government’s attempted blockage of his election as a “coup d’etat.” Some pro-Arévalo have begun blockading key roads and clashing with police, though many of his supporters say their peaceful protests have been hijacked by more violent troublemakers.
It’s Labour’s Turn Soon, We Promise
- This week, the U.K.’s Labour Party held its annual conference in Liverpool as it appears poised to take control of the government during the country’s next general election. The mood of the summit was best summarized by Labour leader Keir Starmer (after he was glitter-bombed by a protestor), who painted Labour as Britain’s best option for stability while panning the rival Conservative Party for its contribution to the nation’s decline.
- Following 13 years as the U.K.’s opposition party, Labour is expected to sweep the country’s next general election. The tone of the conference was generally one of unity in anticipation of that victory, with even fringe groups staying on message in order to make sure that the party cleanly secures power in the near future. The party wants to appear united and serious, promising a period of normalcy after years of Conservative controversy.
Additional World News
- Detained Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich loses appeal in Russian court (ABC)
- European Union reverses earlier announcement that it was suspending development aid to Palestinians (AP)
- Mexico is bracing for a one-two punch from Tropical Storms Lidia and Max (ABC)
- Facing Beijing’s threats, Taiwan president says peace ‘only option’ to resolve political differences (AP)
- Iran’s Khamenei says Tehran was not behind Hamas attack on Israel (Reuters)
- Canada and the Netherlands take Syria to top UN court. They accuse Damascus of widespread torture (AP)
- Mexico says it has rejected US-funded migrant transit centers (AP)
“Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them humanity cannot survive.” – Dalai Lama
Ivy League Infighting
- A letter signed by 33 student groups at Harvard University in support of Palestine has gotten so much negative attention that the university’s president had to issue a statement. On Saturday, the letter was released, which read, “Today’s events did not occur in a vacuum. The apartheid regime is the only one to blame. Israeli violence has structured every aspect of Palestinian existence for 75 years.”
- Former Harvard president Larry Summers wrote on X (Twitter) that he was “sickened” by the letter, and that “the silence from Harvard’s leadership…has allowed Harvard to appear at best neutral towards acts of terror against the Jewish state of Israel.” The university issued a statement on Monday saying it was “heartbroken” by the violence, but on Tuesday, President Claudine Gay clarified that the school “condemn[ed] the terrorist atrocities perpetrated by Hamas.”
Gavin Goes Ham On The Homeless
- It seems California Governor Gavin Newsom wasn’t out on the picket lines to “Free Britney.” Under a new law signed by Newsom this week, Californians with mental health and substance use concerns can be detained against their will and forced into treatment thanks to an extension of the definition of the term “gravely disabled.”
- The bill was partly an attempt to address the state’s ballooning homelessness problem – California hosts about 30% of the nation’s homeless population. The bill was supported by the National Alliance on Mental Illness California and mayors of the major California cities, while disability rights activists worry it will result in people being denied their fundamental rights.
Additional USA Reads
- AOC knocks ‘bigotry and callousness’ of Times Square rally for Palestinians (Politico)
- Biden interviewed as part of the special counsel investigation into handling of classified documents (AP)
- Person drives into Chinese consulate in San Francisco and is killed by police after confrontation, authorities say (CNN)
- RFK Jr. super PAC raises $11 million within hours and courts Elon Musk’s support (Politico)
- Former baseball star Steve Garvey enters Senate race in California (CNN)
- Former Texas Rep. Will Hurd suspends GOP 2024 presidential bid, endorses Nikki Haley (NPR)
- Suozzi enters race for former House seat amid Santos’ troubles (Politico)
A Bird In The Hand Is Safe From A Convention Center
- Last week, Chicago became home to a full-on bird massacre. The culprit wasn’t humans or even cats, though – instead, the mass bird murder was committed by a convention center off the shore of Lake Michigan. Experts say that migration season, foggy weather, and the McCormick Place Lakeside Center’s lack of “bird-friendly” features all contributed in part to the deaths of thousands of birds last Wednesday night.
- Leading up to the mass bird death, experts say that an unusual number of birds migrating south for the winter were waiting around the Chicago area as winds prevented them from continuing their journey. Those winds let up on Wednesday, leading the birds to resume their southward migration, but cloudy weather and low-lying fog forced them to fly at lower altitudes, bringing them closer to Chicago’s skyscrapers.
- The combination of events led to over 1,000 birds dying at the conference center, with about 1,000 more dead across the rest of the city. “It was overwhelming and tragic to see this many birds,” said one bird expert. “I went to a building where, when I walked up to the building, it was like there was just a carpet of dead and dying and injured birds.” Another ornithologist said that the number of birds killed by running into the McCormick Place Lakeside Center on Wednesday night alone was equal to the number of birds who would die from collisions at the building in a whole year.
Additional Reads
- Netanyahu and Biden’s diplomatic relationship, explained (NBC)
- Video game clips and old videos are flooding social media about Israel and Gaza (NPR)
- ‘Seinfeld’ Reunion? Jerry Seinfeld Says ‘Something Is Going to Happen’ Related to Sitcom’s Divisive Finale (Variety)
- ‘Ring of fire’ solar eclipse will slice across Americas on Saturday with millions along path (AP)
- Gwyneth Paltrow jokes about using her Oscar statue as a doorstop (CNN)
- Coldplay and former manager sue each other for millions (Guardian)
- Huge ancient solar storm revealed by tree rings in French Alps (Reuters)