#ows #p2 #p21 #tlot #tcot #teaparty #union #iww #occupy What the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Has to Do with the Protest Outside the Ralph Lauren Shareholders Meeting Today http://www.aflcio.org/Blog/Corporate-Greed/What-the-Triangle-Shirtwaist-Factory-Has-to-Do-with-the-Protest-Outside-the-Ralph-Lauren-Shareholders-Meeting-Today Protesters gathered today in front of the St. Regis Hotel in New York City to call on Ralph Lauren to sign onto the Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh to improve workplace safety for garment workers. The protest preceded Ralph Lauren’s annual shareholders meeting where the AFL-CIO Reserve Fund (its investments) had a proposal on the ballot related to human rights reporting. At today’s shareholder meeting, Nazma Akter, president of the Sommilito Garments Sramik Federation, representing 70,000 workers, spoke to the protesters and called on Ralph Lauren join with more than 180 brands that have agreed to participate in the Accord. The Accord is a binding and enforceable agreement that represents a new model in supply chain accountability and risk management. Other programs to audit and monitor for workers' safety follow the same model that has failed the hundreds of workers who have died in preventable garment factory fires and building collapses over the past 20 years...