News Archives » missionary oblates of mary immaculate
Faith-Based and Socially Responsible Investors Urge U.S. Retailers to Back Bangladesh Accord June 7th, 2013
People and rescuers gather after an eight-story building housing several garment factories collapsed in Savar, near Dhaka, Bangladesh, Wednesday, April 24, 2013.
Used under Creative Commons license; photo courtesy of rijans on flickr
The Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility (ICCR), a group of socially responsible investors of which the Oblates are active members, has asked US retailers to be part of the Bangladesh Fire and Safety initiative, a global accord that promotes the safety of garment workers that would be legally enforceable. The initiative was proposed after more than 1,100 workers died in a building collapse on the outskirts of Dhaka on April 24. The collapsed building housed garment factories that supplied to several Western retailers.
At least 14 North American retailers including Wal-Mart Stores Inc (WMT.N), Macy’s Inc (M.N), Sears Holdings Corp (SHLD.O), JC Penney Co Inc (JCP.N) and Gap Inc (GPS.N) have declined to sign the accord.
They have said the accord gives labour unions too much control over ensuring workplace safety and have proposed the alternative “Safer Factory Initiative”.
ICCR, which was part of the Divestment from South Africa campaign in protest against Apartheid, said the alternative plan could dilute the impact of the accord and may not be legally enforceable.
Retailers such as Zara parent Inditex S.A. (ITX.MC), H&M (HMb.ST), PVH Corp (PVH.N) and Britain’s Tesco Plc (TSCO.L) have supported the Bangladesh fire and safety initiative.
Read the ICCR Statement on the issue…
Oblate Helps Develop Young Citizens in Texas November 3rd, 2012
Kids Voting USA-Brownsville mock-election results are in, reflecting a 65.5% voter turnout. Father Armand Matthew, OMI helped found the organization and is still involved at age 90. He said, noting the high turnout, “Studies show that when young people go through Kids Voting, the adults in their life become more informed and more people are voting,” Matthew said. “Based on the evidence, we have a real hope in Brownsville of seeing 50, 60, 70 — even 90 percent — of adults turning out to vote, and of students leaving high school with a deep sense of responsible citizenship.”
Responding to two questions included on the ballot, eighty-one percent of the student voters said they had researched their choices by studying the student voter guide created by Kids Voting USA-Brownsville, and just under 92 percent said the experience of having voted via Kids Voting would motivate them to vote in the future.
Faith-Based Investors Call on House Leadership to Support Human Trafficking Legislation January 26th, 2012
The Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate joined members of US Social Investment Forum and The Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility (ICCR) in a letter to The Honorable John Boehner (Speaker, U.S. House of Representatives) and The Honorable Eric Cantor (Majority Leader, U.S. House of Representatives) seeking their support on the Business Transparency on Trafficking and Slavery Act (HR 2759). The letter strongly encourages the House leadership to support investors, companies, workers and consumers by moving this important legislation forward in an expeditious manner.
This letter was drafted, reviewed and contributed to by a broad coalition of experts and members of US SIF and ICCR. Read the letter…
Bill Introduced to Close Tax Loopholes, Raise Revenue and Keep Profits and Jobs in U.S. July 12th, 2011
Transfer pricing is a system whereby multinational corporations manipulate their internal prices to shift profits offshore, where they pay little or no tax.
In the midst of the current heated debate on the budget and associated deficit reduction, the introduction of a comprehensive bill to permanently close tax loopholes puts specific revenue-raising proposals on the table.
The Stop Tax Haven Abuse Act, introduced today by Senator Carl Levin (D-MI), would put new restrictions on the use of offshore tax havens to avoid and evade federal taxes. Some of the key provisions include taxing foreign corporations that do business primarily in the U.S., as domestic corporations, and requiring annual country-by-country reporting by SEC-registered corporations related to their employees, sales, purchases, financing arrangements, and taxes.
For a summary of the bill, click here.
Read Senator Levin’s press release for more information.
Click here to read more »
Seamus Finn, OMI and Faith Consistent Investing Profiled in the Huffington Post May 27th, 2010
Fr. Seamus Finn, Director of the Oblate JPIC Office, along with three other ICCR members, will soon appear on The Daily Show, highlighting their work on banking and financial sector reform. Read this fine profile on Fr. Seamus in the Huffington Post written by Katherine Marshall, Senior Fellow at the Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs at Georgetown University: Mission Improbable: Priests on Wall Street.
