Equality

Walmart pays workers $78 million

- Nikki Slabbert

Friday the 13th turned out to be very lucky for Michelle Braun and Dolores Hummel, both former employees of the popular Wal-Mart Inc. chain. The two workers sued the chain after they were forced to work during their break times. The jury found in favour of current and former employees in Pennsylvania to the tune of $78 million for wages lost between March of 1998 and May of 2006.

This was a blow to Wal-Mart’s already tarnished image. The chain has been accused of treating and paying employees poorly. Mike Donovan, attorney for the two workers, was thrilled with the outcome: “The message of today’s verdict to large retailers is that they can’t say one thing to their employees and do another.”

This is not the first time Wal-Mart has been in hot water, in December a Wal-Mart branch in  Bentonville, Arkansas was ordered to pay $172 million to employees who were denied meal breaks.

Pets in the USA to be Saved in Emergencies

- Adam Clare

Greg James writes in to let us know that the US Government has passed a bill to protect pets in emergencies.

Greg lets us know that the ASPCA supports this:

In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, it has become overwhelmingly apparent that provisions need to be made for our trusted companions in major disaster and emergency situations. The Pets Evacuation and Transportation Standards Act (PETS) would amend a federal law called the Stafford Act. It would require the director of FEMA, in approving standards for state and local disaster preparedness plans, to ensure that the plans take into account the needs of individuals with household pets and service animals. The bill would also allow the director of FEMA to make financial contributions to state and local authorities for animal emergency preparedness purposes, including establishing shelters to accommodate people with pets and service animals.

Many Katrina evacuees and disaster victims were forced to leave their pets behind when they evacuated their homes, because no provisions had been made to evacuate companion animals along with their families. The emotional trauma of those forced to leave their pets behind and the suffering of tens of thousands of animals was compounded by the health and safety risks that resulted from so many abandoned animals in one area. Conversely, many pet owners, knowing their companion animals could not accompany them, chose to stay in their homes with their pets, further complicating human rescue efforts. The PETS bill would help ensure that this situation does not repeat itself if another major disaster strikes!

Ugandans Return To Peace Talks

- Nikki Slabbert

Ugandan rebels have agreed to return to peace talks to end the country’s 19 year civil war. The Lord’s Resistance Army left talks recently after they claimed the army was surrounding neutral assembly points where the rebel forces had gathered. The army claimed they had done so after the rebel groups had began to leave the assembly points after a commitment to remain at the points until an agreement had been reached.

The two forces have been involved in one of Africa’s longest wars, both accusing the other of atrocities. The LRA, led by Joseph Kony, has long been supported by Sudan, causing the government to cut ties with this country.

The talks got back on track after rebels returned to the neutral assembly points and military convoys retreated. Said Martin Ojul, head of the rebel group; “The peace talks are on course, and we hope that we will come out with a solution.”

Help Darfur

- Adam Clare 1 Comment

blue hat dudeDarfur is a region in trouble. For years there have been killings and other tragedies. Obviously this is not good news at all – in fact it’s the opposite of good news. Today’s good news about Darfur comes from people wanting to help the region through action. Show your support online by wearing a blue hat!

The Global Day for Darfurwas originally conceived by a group of NGOs who were concerned about the international communityÂ’s slow response to the crisis in Darfur. ItÂ’s truly global: the day will see peaceful demonstrations, rallies, marches, exhibitions and concerts in cities around
the world including Abuja, Addis Ababa, Berlin, Cairo, Hong Kong, Khartoum,
Kigali, London, Melbourne, Moscow, Nairobi, New York, Toronto, Paris and
Vancouver.

Blair Calls for Better Poverty Reduction

- Adam Clare

British Prime Minister Tony Blair is calling for a better approach to fight poverty in Britain. Current government programs are not reaching “deeply excluded” families and that needs to change in order for the government to make a much bigger impact.

“He said a small percentage of every generation were “stuck in a lifetime of disadvantage”. “We have to recognise that for some families, their problems are more multiple, more deep and more pervasive than simply low income,” he continued.”

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