Little being done to protect garment workers in poorer countries

In the first of two articles by The New York Times is has been revealed that there have been "failures to protect garment workers in poor countries", such as Bangladesh, "who make much of the world’s clothing" including brands for Walmart.

The Alexandria Gazette Packet reports that "in the last year, Chatham-based Virginia Uranium, Inc., has contributed $147,000 to sponsor research favorable to overturning a ban on uranium mining and invested more than $52,000 in campaign contributions across the commonwealth."

"The company has hired 19 lobbyists from five firms in an effort to persuade legislators that the practice of uranium mining is safe in Pittsylvania County, which is upriver from one of Virginia's most populated areas."

In an investigation by Alex Cameron, director of the Oklahoma Impact Team, "it has been found that a job incentive program that has created tens of thousands of good-paying jobs in Oklahoma has also rewarded companies that cut jobs and even exported jobs overseas."

Chesapeake Energy has become the principal player in the largest land boom in America since the 1850s California Gold Rush, amassing acreage positions that rival those of any U.S. energy company. Its strategy is clearly spelled out in a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission: “We believed that the winner of these land grabs would enjoy competitive advantages for decades to come.” Chesapeake isn’t nearly as transparent about its methods, however. Reuters reviewed hundreds of internal Chesapeake emails, thousands of pages of documents and dozens of lawsuits in seven states, and interviewed contractors who cut deals for the company. What emerged were tough tactics in acquiring land that some analysts say push ethical and legal limits -- and that even some of the company’s own contractors considered dubious. Features detailed examples from Texas, Ohio and Michigan.

In an ongoing series, The Washington Post's Debbie Cenziper and Nikita Stewart identified $2.6 billion in unexplained property tax reductions, made through secretive, back-room deals, for hundreds of influential developers in Washington, D.C. The third installment today found that the District's new chief appraiser had been dogged by similar allegations at his last job in Atlanta, where steep tax reductions were awarded to a mall and mansion owned by Lee Najjar, also known as “Big Poppa,” a well-known developer mentioned on the reality series, “The Real Housewives of Atlanta.”

Today's story:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/dc-politics/dcs-chief-tax-appraiser-embroiled-in-controversy/2012/09/12/4a3bb232-fb5c-11e1-b2af-1f7d12fe907a_story_2.html

First story:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/surge-in-dc-tax-office-settlements-reduces-commercial-property-owners-bills/2012/08/07/5af75372-d1c4-11e1-8bea-6dc0b4879aab_story.html

The News & Observer exposed employers who cheat, misclassifying construction workers to avoid taxes and buying fake workers' compensation policies.

A three-part series, "The Ghost Workers," also showed a state government inept at -- and not interested in -- finding the dishonest businesses. However, Governor Bev Perdue has already ordered reforms.

"State officials in Missouri talked tough with previous owners of a polluted site, but when it came time to do the cleanup, Missouri taxpayers were stuck with almost the entire bill--$12 million--, a St. Louis Post-Dispatch investigation has found."

"In addition to not holding the polluters to account, the state and city allowed a single firm to award most of the remediation work to itself without competitive bidding."

"As part of its ongoing examination of the Teacher Retirement System of Texas, The Dallas Morning News investigated the shadowy world of pension fund placement agents -- the middlemen hired by private firms to solicit public capital."

"The article focused on one man, a politically connected Houston investment manager, and how his work as a placement agent served as a hidden link between public fund officials and the private firms that manage -- for significant fees -- the investment of these public dollars."

--IRE members can email extraextra@ire.org to read the full story.

Payday loans — short-term, small dollar loans with exorbitant fees — are restricted in 18 states, and New York's ban is one of the toughest. But reporter John Sandman found evidence that online payday lenders are circumventing these bans, illegally targeting potential borrowers in these states. The investigation, published by City Limits, was supported by The Investigative Fund at The Nation Institute.