A New Day for Liberian Firestone Workers

(Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO)
Fresh off the Stop Firestone Call-In Day, representatives of the AFL-CIO Solidarity Center and United Steel Workers (USW) will participate in a brown bag lunch discussion Tuesday on the recent union election victory at the Firestone Liberian rubber plantation. The July election marks the first time workers at the plantation elected their own representatives. Prior to the July election, Firestone plantation managers only recognized another union that “provided little or no representation for workers,” reports James Parks of the AFL-CIO Now Blog. This election gives the “democratically elected union representatives overwhelming support to make improvements to their wages, living and working conditions,” says USW International President Leo Gerard. Firestone has come under fire for its treatment of workers. According to the Stop Firestone Coalition, Firestone pays workers low wages, sets quotas that require workers to work 21 hours a day, provide poor living conditions for workers, and encourage child labor. “It’s shameful to see how a successful and highly profitable global corporation treats its employees,” Gerard says. Last Thursday, hundreds of callers across the nation participated in a Stop the Firestone Call-In Day to demand Firestone end its exploitation of Liberian workers. “The Call-In was a big success because it mobilized people across the country to speak up against Firestone,” says International Labor Rights Forum Campaigns Assistant Tim Newman. “It is clear that the company is aware of the rising tide of public concern.” Liberian rubber worker, photo from the AFL-CIO Now Blog website