VF Corporation, the largest maker of branded apparel in the world, is the parent company of popular brands including the North Face, Vans, JanSport, Timberland, and 32 others. In Bangladesh, VF Corporation sources from 90 factories, employing over 190,000 garment workers, and VF refuses to listen to its Bangladeshi workers and sign a legally-binding agreement for fire and building safety in the factories. Following the Rana Plaza factory disaster, and with immense public pressure, brands took action by signing onto a legally binding contract called the Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh. Currently the Accord has over 190 brands signatories from 21 countries all around the world, including over 18 American brands. Although 190 brands including Adidas, H&M, Calvin Klein, and Tommy Hilfiger have made a legally binding commitment to improve safety for the workers producing in Bangladesh, VF has refused to make the same legally-binding commitment and improvements for their workers. University and college students, as part of United Students Against Sweatshops (USAS), have spent the last 18 months running a national campaign to demand VF sign onto the Accord. Disappointingly, VF has instead partnered with Walmart to create an alternative, corporate-controlled program called the Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety. Since its formation, the Alliance has been extensively criticized for its lack of real worker representation, binding commitments to implement changes called for by independent inspectors, and legal accountability. JanSport/VF’s violations in Bangladesh are the most egregious cases in the maelstrom of other sweatshop abuses at its supplier factories, including stolen severance pay in Honduras, poverty wages in Cambodia that have led to massive worker strikes, and violence against union activists. In the last year, 17 universities have ended 21 contracts with JanSport/VF over the systemic presence of sweatshop conditions throughout the company’s supply chain, as well as VF’s refusal to address urgent threats to worker safety by signing the Bangladesh Safety Accord. All universities should follow suit! VF’s Global Track Record The abuses within VF’s supply chain, both in Bangladesh and globally, are innumerable. Below is a sampling of cases that demonstrate VF’s involvement in worker exploitation and injustice. In December 2010, four Bangladeshi garment workers died and 100 were injured in clashes with police outside a factory owned by the Korean-based YoungOne group, a major producer of North Face and owner of the rights to North Face in Korea. At issue was failure of the YoungOne factory to implement a new minimum wage increase. In 2010, VF was producing at That’s It Sportswear factory in Bangladesh (owned by Hameem Group), which burned, killing 29 workers and injuring more than a hundred. The factory had illegal construction, no proper fire exits, shoddy wiring, and locked exit doors. Workers were trapped on the top floors of the factory. Many jumped to their deaths. VF had repeatedly inspected the factory and yet had completely failed to address the safety hazards. In October of 2012, another VF factory, Eurotex, which was disclosed as a producer of collegiate apparel, burned in Dhaka. This was a major fire, though it did not completely destroy the factory. No one was killed in the fire, because the factory was closed for a holiday – if the fire had occurred during the workday, many could have died. When contacted about this fire, VF claimed that their own disclosure data was wrong and they had stopped using the factory. In August of 2013, the Worker Rights Consortium conducted a safety assessment of Optimum Fashion, a long-time VF contract factory producing collegiate apparel. After VF attempted to prevent the WRC from accessing the factory, the WRC’s inspection uncovered a number of very serious safety hazards, all of which constitute violations of university code of conduct provisions requiring licensees to maintain safe workplaces and any of which could result in injury or death to workers. These violations “included inadequate means for workers to escape the factory in the event of a fire and structural flaws that would facilitate the rapid and widespread propagation of deadly smoke throughout the factory building.” In January of 2014, a 20 year old YoungOne worker was shot and killed by police during a strike over stolen wages despite promises by YoungOne group to change its practices after the aforementioned 2010 murders. YoungOne produces up to 40% of all of The North Face’s apparel. On April 2, 2014, over 48,000 workers walked off the job at the Yue Yuen factory, a supplier for Timberland (a VF brand), in China’s largest strike in recent memory. The Yue Yuen workers had been robbed of years of legally owed social insurance payments and it was only after a massive strike in which several workers were beaten and kidnapped that the factory agreed to begin paying full social insurance and higher wages. On June 20, 2014 in Bangladesh, the Medlar Apparels factory caught fire, a factory that has supplied VF apparel as far back as 2007. This fire occurred despite the fact that VF claimed to have “completed 100% of inspections at Bangladeshi factories where VF product is sourced.” The factory was initially successfully evacuated, but workers were instructed to reenter the burning building to fight the fire and presumably save equipment like sewing machines, thus resulting in several workers being injured. VF later applauded their own dangerous training program that teaches workers to fight factory fires. In 2014, a potentially fatal inspection procedure was exposed at a VF factory in Bangladesh called Sinha Knitting. In July, the Accord audited Sinha and concluded that the factory’s concrete columns were severely over-stressed, enough so that the Accord recommended immediate closure due to the danger it posed to workers. However prior to this...

On 4/17/15, COGCC approved the Peterson Energy applications for 6 wells to be drilled near Bethke Elementary School. These applications still have wrong information and raise safety and health concerns. As the Larimer County Local Government Designee (LGD), Mr. Robert Helmick is the only person that can appeal the decision to approve the applications on behalf of the concerned and impacted public. Please insist that Mr. Helmick exercise his right to appeal the approval of the applications to the Colorado Oil & Gas Conservation Commission.

New Yorkers agree: It's time to shut down the "LLC loophole," once and for all. The Board of Elections failed to act, but the Senate can still do it before the end of the legislative session. Sign the petition and tell your Senator to close this loophole!

My name is Nubia Guajardo and on February 25th I lost the love of my life, and the father of my children. Recently the UFW shared with all of you the story of the tragic death of my love Randy Vasquez, who died drowned in a manure pond at Riverview Dairy, which provides milk to Darigold, located in Mabton, (eastern) WA. I've lived in Sunnyside, WA for almost all my life, a place surrounded by dairies. At this point in my life I have gotten used to the potent smell of manure and the flies; I just can't get used to being without Randy. Through this email I want to thank you for your support. However, we still need to do more. Neither Darigold, nor the farm owner have reached out to me or the UFW after Randy drowned. Can you imagine how awful it was to explain Randy’s death to my children? All of the people who loved Randy want to know what Darigold and the farm have done to ensure worker safety. I want to make sure that no other family has to endure the pain of losing their loved one and also that no other dairy worker has to endure the harsh working conditions Randy experienced as a dairy worker. He, like many other dairy workers around here, worked in an unsafe workplace. He told me he got his wages shorted. He got injured on the job before. He told me that he brought his own drinking water to work and he described having to eat his meal as he milked cows. I know he never thought that he would lose his life drowning in a manure pit. Darigold and their farms claim to take pride nurturing families around the world with the milk and dairy products they produce. I would like for them to take the same pride to secure the safe and healthy working conditions of those who make their products possible. Please help me ask Jim Wegner, Darigold CEO for a meeting by signing this petition today!

Stop Bank corruption right now. Lets send a message to CONGRESS: SUSPEND the proposed sale of One West Bank to CIT Group until there is a full investigation of the homeowner complaints with AN INDEPENDENT COMMISSION LIKE THE WATERGATE COMMISSION. STOP the biggest ROBBERY in the History of the U.S. Right this moment, you can help stop the outrageous flow of BILLIONS of taxpayer dollars from the FDIC into One West Bank, and in turn into CIT Group....those misdirected funds can feed a lot of people, pay student loans, help military families, and fix a lot of highways and bridges. This money belongs to THE PEOPLE...not to 5 men owning One West Bank. SIGN this Petition, please. This is a battle for the future of our Democracy.

Many of us had the dream of getting an education that would lead to a better future; instead we were scammed, have degrees that are worthless, and are deep in debt.

This month the 2015 California DISCLOSE Act, AB 700, faces its first key test in a vote of the Assembly Elections Committee. AB 700 is crucial to letting voters defend ourselves against the deluge of ballot measure ads from billionaires and other special interests that attempt to buy elections by deceiving voters. AB 700, authored by Assemblymembers Jimmy Gomez and Marc Levine and sponsored by the California Clean Money Campaign, will make ads for ballot measures clearly and prominently display their top three REAL funders. No hiding behind front groups with confusing names displayed in fine print. Assemblymember Travis Allen is on the Elections committee. Please sign our petition now asking him to vote for AB 700 to stand with the voters and against Dark Money!

This month the 2015 California DISCLOSE Act, AB 700, faces its first key test in a vote of the Assembly Elections Committee. AB 700 is crucial to letting voters defend ourselves against the deluge of ballot measure ads from billionaires and other special interests that attempt to buy elections by deceiving voters. AB 700, authored by Assemblymembers Jimmy Gomez and Marc Levine and sponsored by the California Clean Money Campaign, will make ads for ballot measures clearly and prominently display their top three REAL funders. No hiding behind front groups with confusing names displayed in fine print. Assemblymember Kevin Mullin has already said he'd like to coauthor AB 700. Please sign our petition now thanking him and asking him to do everything he can to help AB 700 pass!

This month the 2015 California DISCLOSE Act, AB 700, faces its first key test in a vote of the Assembly Elections Committee. AB 700 is crucial to letting voters defend ourselves against the deluge of ballot measure ads from billionaires and other special interests that attempt to buy elections by deceiving voters. AB 700, authored by Assemblymembers Jimmy Gomez and Marc Levine and sponsored by the California Clean Money Campaign, will make ads for ballot measures clearly and prominently display their top three REAL funders. No hiding behind front groups with confusing names displayed in fine print. Assemblymember Sebastian Ridley-Thomas is the chair of the Elections committee, so AB 700's fate is in his hands. Please sign our petition now asking him to vote for AB 700, and to stand with the voters and against Dark Money!

Drug companies should be responsible for their products.

I will never know what caused my son’s learning disability. But researchers at the National Academy of Sciences state that at least 25% of all learning disabilities (like dyslexia) and developmental disabilities (such as autism) can be linked to toxic chemicals found in products, in the air, and in our homes. No family should have to suffer through the anguish caused by a disability from a preventable cause like toxic chemicals in every day products. That's why I started this petition. In the United States, 1 in 6 children has a developmental disability. These disabilities are rising every year at an alarming pace, especially for autism (now 1 in every 68 children) and ADHD (now 11% of children). It's time to prevent these disabilities whenever we can. Unfortunately, the federal government is failing to protect us from exposure to toxic chemicals. Of the 85,000 chemicals in use today, only 200 have been tested by the EPA for health and safety and only 5 chemicals have been banned or restricted. It's hard to imagine Congress could make this situation worse, but they are now considering a bill written and supported by the chemical industry which would undermine our already weak protections. Join us in urging Congress to support real reform of our chemical safety laws—reform that truly protects our families and communities.

A story was done by 60 minutes exposing the illegal importation and false labeling of flooring products sold by Lumber Liquidators. I want a full investigation done on our local branch. Not only was this story not picked up locally but once the story broke on 60min the local branch put these dangerous materials on sale to try and get rid of the evidence. Hundreds of homes in Colorado now have flooring installed with dangerous levels of chemical fumes emitting from them. This is a violation of state and federal law but because they are a major campaign contributor and large advertising customer of local media stations no one has done anything and now hundreds of people are at risk. These fumes have been proven to cause many illness in children, pets, and elderly adults. The research has already been done and proven by 60 minutes this is not an allegation, it is a fact. Lumber Liquidators must be held accountable for their actions.