From China to Pakistan, social audits are failing to protect workers. Thanks to @jasminchua.com for mentioning my writing on the Huiteng Shoes factory-& the appalling fact that it was recently audited to Amfori’s BSCI standards, earning a B grade overall & an A for safety. wwd.com/sourcing-jou...

On the Line: Social Audits Are Failing Pakistan’s Garment Workers

Also in this edition: Factory fires keep erupting, extreme heat is costing India’s informal workers billions in lost wages, another factory on the Thai-Cambodian border closes, and how to make sure Se...

wwd.com

It’s a bad time for corporate accountability, as this thread spells out. But the women pictured below won the $ they were owed thanks to a global campaign I’m proud to have worked on. We can still win, it just takes solidarity (& some more $ would be good too) dignityandrights.org/2026/05/gap-...

derek guy@dieworkwear.bsky.social · 2w ago

And by making it easier for factories to hide exploited labor and hobbling our ability to pressure suppliers to pay what's owed, we've put US factories at a further disadvantage. It's now easier to sell a $2 T-shirt in the US, as you can exploit workers abroad and never be held accountable.

I am once again writing about the horrors of global supply chains & the $20 billion industry that exists to protect brands' reputations. No one should die for fashion. dignityandrights.org/2026/07/soci...

"In 2005-2010, there were ~45x more futures contracts traded... than physical coffee contracts. By 2025, that had risen to 88x higher, w/ much of that trade explicitly classed as speculative." I was in coffee in the 2000s & remember hedge fund trading seeming wild-now there's AI bots in the mix

Fionn Pooler@thepourover.coffee · 4w ago

On Monday the coffee futures market jumped nearly 19%, before falling back on Tuesday. It was the biggest one-day spike in more than 25 years. What happened? To try and find out, I spoke to several experts, analysts, and traders. ☕ This is a paywalled article, but Ghost now does gift links, so:

New zine day! This one is a collaboration with my friend @annacanning.bsky.social and I looove how it turned out, printed with riso in 4 ink colors! Only $5 to get the printed zine mailed to you!! Or just $2 for the digital files. New zine every month! www.patreon.com/LeeDoesStuff...

New zine: Doors, by Lee & Anna | Lee Does Stuff

My friend Anna has been taking photos of doors while traveling and posting them on instagram for awhile now, and I always loved the series a

patreon.com

When people hear “Patagonia,” do they think of the place or the brand? I sat down with @lexlanham.bsky.social to discuss how a corporations trademark geographic names and the cultural impact. New episode of Art of Citizenry out now! 🎧 tune in ~ open.substack.com/pub/artofcit...

Today in corporate backsliding: fashion brand Hugo Boss is backing away from the legally-binding Pakistan Accord & opting for a mishmash of discredited corporate-friendly social audits to take its place. We've been here before. 1000s of people died. Don't do it dignityandrights.org/2026/06/hugo...

I want to say one thing about this. This has been the hiring process for low wage workers for awhile. Wal Mart et al have been using automated job application systems to gamify everything from postings to schedules. The crisis, such that it is, is that it is now happening in middle skills jobs.

Thankful Thinker@thankfulthinker.bsky.social · 2mo ago

"AI has Tinderized hiring. Workers are applying to hundreds of positions & never hearing back; companies are receiving thousands of resumes & struggling to respond. More than that, AI has Amazoned hiring. It has scrubbed the uniqueness out of applications..." www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...

Pyrex, Instant Pot- they're kitchen staples that cooks have a deep emotional attachment to. Now they're owned by a private equity firm & getting turned into MAGA propaganda tools Listen to my convo w/@manpreetkalra.bsky.social @artofcitizenry.bsky.social artofcitizenry.substack.com/p/private-eq...

Nearly the entire American kitchenware market is now owned by ONE private equity firm — from Instant Pot to Pyrex to Lenox. @annacanning.bsky.social and I dig deep and uncover a story that spans the entire private equity playbook! Tune in: open.substack.com/pub/artofcit...

The trouble with hanging your hat on "rule of law" is then the rulers just go change the law so they can remain forever the rulers.

Anat Shenker-Osorio@anatosaurus.bsky.social · 3mo ago

The Roberts Court majority may be pretending they don't know the Voting Rights Act is what ended Jim Crow and their decision to gut it is license to take us back ("again") to stealing power from Black voters, but Americans do:

In December 2025, the University of Utah became the first major college athletic program to take private equity investment. @annacanning.bsky.social and I trace how we got here on Art of Citizenry Podcast! 🎙️

The Private Equity Playbook: College Sports and the University of Utah

Private Equity’s New Playing Field

open.substack.com

Good morning, here's still more data showing that raising low-wage workers' pay doesn't actually cause prices to skyrocket. There are always apocalyptic threats when wage increases pass, but their only evidence remains discredited restaurant industry studies capitalandmain.com/despite-apoc...

Despite Apocalyptic Warnings, California Fast Food Wage Hike Didn’t Kill Jobs

UC Berkeley study finds employment held steady — and only pennies were added to menu prices.

capitalandmain.com

It's so grim to see so many pillars of the corporate accountability campaign landscape losing funding & crumbling. Decentralized locals can do all sorts of things, but funding for research & analysis to back campaigning is so critical.

Jasmin Malik Chua@jasminchua.com · 4mo ago

Born out of the 2013 Rana Plaza collapse, the activism group that asked "Who Made My Clothes?" is shutting down its London headquarters in favor of decentralized governance for its global affiliates.

What if a private equity firm was better for workers than a union? KKR has $410 billion+ in assets, pretty sure it doesn't need NPR doing its PR, but maybe we're witnessing a new greenwashing trope emerge? www.npr.org/transcripts/...

an alarming scoop from DSA Portland: local company Sightline is providing drone tech for Israeli military use. there is concern the company has developed some of its tech via surveilling Portland communities. Sign on letter here: actionnetwork.org/letters/sigh...

Portland DSA@portlanddsa.bsky.social · 4mo ago

🚨 🚨 🚨 New research reveals that Portland-based company Sightline Intelligence has been shipping drone technology components to Israeli military contractor Elbit Systems. Is Sightline testing & training this technology on us without our consent?

America's oil execs have pocketed $1.4 billion selling stock during the Iran war, the WSJ reports This cash windfall won’t go primarily toward yachts and private jets, but toward political campaigns and lobbying orgs dedicated to blocking climate policy and fueling authoritarianism

Chevron's CEO made $104 million while America bombed Iran

America's oil executives have pocketed $1.4 billion selling stock during the Iran war, a new investigation shows.

heated.world

75% of layoffs are at unionized stores - that certainly looks like retaliation from a company whose *profits* were $170 million last year.

OPB@opb.org · 6mo ago

A spokesperson for New Seasons Market confirmed the layoffs, citing increased labor costs after the grocery chain and union reached a labor agreement in December.

The labor conditions: bad. Even worse: a state governor who has weaponized state power against workers at every turn. But workers have developed innovative solutions to hold accountable the corporations who profit off their exploitation. New report out today: dignityandrights.org/resources/rr...

As an organizer, he helped win back $6M+ in stolen wages for low-wage workers--it's clear who the real criminals are, & it's not who's getting detained. Great coverage from @sarahlazare.bsky.social- & good to see the petition mentioned is now at 5k signatures workdaymagazine.org/worker-organ...

Worker Organizer Abducted By Federal Agents in Minnesota - Workday Magazine

This article is a joint publication of Workday Magazine and In These Times. Federal immigration agents have abducted Eustaquio Orozco Verdusco, a workers’ rights organizer well known in Minnesota for ...

workdaymagazine.org

“No matter how Ring and other surveillance tech companies may downplay it, there’s no world in which finding lost dogs is the final end-use for this technology.”

Opinion | Ring is using lost dogs to make the surveillance state adorable

The same technology the Amazon-owned company uses to find lost dogs could easily be turned against their owners.

ms.now

This whole "biogas" or "renewable natural gas" scheme is the apex of greenwashing false solutions - & a perfect example of how corporations team up to shift the risk & cost of destructive business models onto the rest of us.

FarmSTAND@farmstand.bsky.social · 6mo ago

Northwest Natural, an Oregon utility, is trying to shift $8.3M in losses to consumers after a failed factory farm gas deal. Factory farm gas is a method of producing energy using livestock manure, and despite the claims of Big Ag and fossil fuel companies, it is not a solution to the climate crisis.

You may’ve seen coverage of a new report on the threat to national security from environmental collapse. A common response that’s got my goat is: “Look, it’s not just tree-hugging enviros saying this, it’s hard-nosed spooks!” A short thread on why this framing is bad history & bad politics🧵😡😉

Biodiversity collapse threatens UK security, intelligence chiefs warn

Ecosystem destruction will increase food shortages, disorder and mass migration, with effects already being felt

theguardian.com

Does a “reform” further empower your enemies or take power and resources away from them? Some of you need to sit with this question.

🚨 Time to show your support! Washington State is about to vote on #SB6045 and #HB2409, which would create a process for farmworkers to organize and elect representatives, and require employers to bargain union contracts with workers! Follow @foodjusticec2c.bsky.social & @fujwashington on IG for more

"We had one hotel publicly refuse to house ICE, which became a big national news story when DHS went after them. That’s a hotel we were targeting, and it was mostly because of our pressure. We had two more hotels temporarily shut down to avoid housing ICE..." www.laborpolitics.com/p/how-minnea...

How to Block ICE In Your City

Minneapolis organizer Aru Shiney-Ajay on effective tactics to disrupt ICE—and the need to target corporate collaborators

laborpolitics.com

ICE raids in Minneapolis is making it risky for people to go to work - & now rent is about to be due. The team at CTUL does amazing work to defend low-wage & immigrant workers & has a long track record in the community: worthy of your support if you've got $ to share chuffed.org/project/1671...

EMERGENCY RENT FUND: Support Workers in Minnesota

Rent is due FEBRUARY 1st. Support our Emergency Rent Fund for Minnesotan workers and families facing eviction due to ICE Raids. We are calling for a rent moratorium, but regardless of if that happens ...

chuffed.org

So the House is going to vote TOMORROW on the DHS funding bill that includes funding for ICE. There's a real chance we can get Dems to vote NO on any bill with ICE funding to sink it. Once it goes to the Senate we likely lose this chance. 24 hours. Go. www.fightforthefuture.org/actions/no-f...

No Funding for ICE Surveillance Tech!

fightforthefuture.org

"We can't delude our way out of climate change & the effects of using land to feed large amounts of cattle...-though some people are certainly trying." Timely piece for this moment, & if we're going to do old school steakhouse nostalgia, I vote for the 🍸🍸 lunch.

Alicia Kennedy@aliciadkennedy.bsky.social · 7mo ago

I wrote for @bestfoodblog.bsky.social about the DELUSION inherent to the steakhouse trend (filed minutes before RFK Jr. flipped the food pyramid, btw): www.bestfoodblog.net/the-steakhou...