"We are extremely concerned to hear eyewitness reports that civil society organizations, including trade unions, have been tear-gassed and beaten by the armed forces," said SEIU Executive VP Eliseo Medina in a statement yesterday. "Many have been injured and dozens have been arrested. We have received information from Honduras that there are lists of trade union leaders threatened with detention and whose personal safety is at risk."

SEIU is standing in solidarity with sister organizations in Honduras--the Unitary Central of Honduran Workers (CUTH), the Confederation of Honduran Workers (CTH), the General Workers Central (CGT), and the Trade Union Confederation of the Americas (TUCA), which represents over 45 million workers in the hemisphere--in condemning the military coup that resulted in the illegal ouster of democratically-elected President Manuel Zelaya. President Zelaya was working to free his country from decades of poverty until he was injudiciously halted in these efforts by the Honduran military.

"SEIU calls on the United States government and the international community--particularly the Organization of American States and the United Nations--to take all measures within its diplomatic powers to protect democracy in Honduras," stated Medina. "We also ask that they intervene to ensure that all Honduran civilians, particularly trade unionists and social activists denouncing the coup, are safe and secure and will not be victimized by violence and repression. Read SEIU's entire statement on the coup in Honduras.

Image used under a Creative Commons license by Flickr user venstresida

Worst Companies for Union Organizing Highlighted for International Human Rights Day

From the International Labor Rights Forum:

Adopted on this day sixty years ago, The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) states that "everyone has the right to form and to join trade unions for the protection of his interests," (Article 23, Section 4). As human rights advocates around the world celebrate International Human Rights Day, the International Labor Rights Forum (ILRF) has released "Working for Scrooge: 5 Worst Companies for the Right to Associate," a list of the five worst multinational corporations for union organizing.

One particularly sad and shocking statistics (among many) in this survey: the ILRF reports "at least 91 unionists were killed globally as a result of their organizing efforts in 2007."

The companies on this year's list of the 2008 five worst multinational corporations for union organizing include:

• Wal-Mart - for violating worker rights in the USA, Canada and elsewhere.
• Nestle - for violations in the Philippines, Colombia, Peru, Russia and Pakistan.
• Del Monte - for violations in Guatemala and the Philippines.
• Dole - for violations in the Philippines, Costa Rica and Colombia.
• Russell/Fruit of the Loom - for violations in Honduras and Uzbekistan.

Read the full report here.

*Top offenders selected on the basis of their ties to violence against trade unions and suppression of the universal right to organize.