Policy Over Pancakes

On October 21, 2018, Jessica Silver-Greenberg and Natalie Kitroeff from the Washington Post reported on pregnancy discrimination effecting American warehouse employees. They interviewed women from an XPO Verizon warehouse in Memphis, Tennessee. The women reported how their employers ignored doctors notes calling for a lighter work load and how their strenuous jobs led to inhuman working conditions and a serious of miscarriages.

XPO is one of the largest companies in the United States that most Americans have never heard of. It profits from offering to its own clients the delivery system Amazon perfected. Warehouses like the one in Memphis, handle packaging and shipping logistics for large companies such as Verizon and help bring your new iPhone and Otterbox case to your door steps within days of an online order. What most customers don’t realize is the long hours and harsh working conditions enforced on XPO employees that make the quick delivery and low shipping costs possible. Inside the Memphis warehouse, hundreds of women transport boxes weighing up to 45 pounds on and off conveyer belts organized for maximum production. There is no air conditioning on some of the warehouse floors and temperatures sometimes rise above 100 degrees. Workers arrive as early as 8am and are not informed what time they’ll be let off work, sometimes not until 9 or 10pm. One woman, Tasha Murrell, explained how each employee is given a mark every time they choose to leave work early or decide to take a day off without their supervisors permission. If an employee receives nine marks within one year they are automatically fired. The conditions explained by Ms. Murrell and another 20 women interviewed can be referred to as a form of modern day slavery. 

The conditions take an especially harsh toll on pregnant women. Tasha Murrell was one of the 20 women who used to work at XPO that was interviewed by Jessica Silver-Greenberg and Natalie Kitroeff as well as Michael Barbaro from the “Daily” podcast. She explained how her job cost her her health, and ultimately her own baby. In the spring of 2014, Ms. Murrell told her supervisor, Amela Bukvic, that she was in pain and needed to go home early. The heavy lifting at work became too difficult and so Ms. Murrell visited her doctor and received a note acknowledging that she should not be allowed to do heavy lifting to protect her pregnancy. When she presented the doctor’s note to her supervisor, her request was dismissed and she was encouraged to get an abortion. Ms. Murrell did not take that advice. The next morning she woke up to a blood stained mattress. Her husband drove her to the emergency room where the doctors informed her that she had had a miscarriage. That same spring, five out of Ms. Murrell’s pregnant co-workers had miscarriages. Each woman returning to work shortly after. Ms. Murrell returned to work just one week after losing her baby.

This event sparked Ms. Murrell and her colleagues to join the Teamsters organization to create a union at the Memphis XPO warehouse. Although this process has made some progress, it struggles to provide full coverage for pregnant workers and humane working conditions for the XPO employees. Amelia Bukvic and her lawyer denied  accusations of harassment stating “I would never make such a horrible statement to anyone, especially an employee under my supervision” and “If they had any work restrictions, I always took all steps to make sure their work duties never exceeded those restrictions” (Washington Post). However, just a few months after this statement was released in September 2014, another woman under her supervision miscarried.

Ms. Murrell quit her job at XPO after a fateful accident lead to the heart attack and death of her coworker. She shares her story to raise awareness about how modern day demand leads to modern day slavery.

The wave of far-right politics that is flooding much of the western world has washed over another country. This time on the shores of Rio de Janeiro. Jair Balsonaro’s victory in a runoff election on October 28 marked a clear far-right shift in Brazilian politics. Well known for the incendiary comments he has made about women, homosexual people, and people of color, Bolsonaro is looking to leave his mark on Brazilian politics by any means necessary.

Many Brazilians are tired of the violence and corruption that has defined their lives and their government during the last decade. Reminiscent of President Trump’s supporters, Bolsonaro’s base appreciates his willingness to speak his mind and aggressively push back against those who oppose him. Bolsonaro’s military background and numerous projections of strength appealed to Brazilians who are tired of the ineffectual rhetoric of Brazil’s other political parties, particularly the Brazilian Democratic Movement (MBD) and the Worker’s Party (PT), which have controlled Brazilian politics since 2003. Caught up in the now infamous “Operation Car Wash”, an ongoing corruption scandal which has implicated presidents and high ranking government officials across the continent, the Worker’s Party felt the effects of this investigation in the 2018 Presidential election. Although PT candidate, Fernando Haddad, made it to a runoff, Bolsonaro nearly won outright with over 46% of the popular vote in the first round. If Bolsonaro’s nearly landslide victory proves anything, it is that the Brazilian political climate is overwhelming shifting to the right.

As the Brazilians come to terms with the far-right shift of their national politics, Brazil’s election will have ripple effects across the globe. In terms of the environment, Bolsonaro made a number of campaign promises to open up tracks of land in the Amazon for development. On the campaign trail, Bolsonaro stated that he will not tolerate the agenda of environmental organizations, such as the World Wildlife Fund, in Brazil. During the campaign, Bolsonaro even went as far as to promise to back out of the Paris Agreement if elected. Many of environmentalist worry about the disastrous and far-reaching effects that further deforestation in the Amazon could have on climate change and pollution.

Given that Brazil is the world’s fourth-largest democracy, Brazil is often the trendsetter in South American politics. Bolsonaro does not hide the fact that he admires Brazil’s former military dictatorship. In a previous interview, when asked if he would dismantle Congress as President, Bolsonaro said, “There is no doubt. I would perform a coup on the same day. [Congress] doesn’t work.” The kind of rhetoric that the people of Brazil overlooked when placing Jair Bolsonaro in office is troubling, to say the least. This rhetoric is shockingly similar to the populist sentiments that has defined much of western democracy over the past few years. Brazil’s influence in the region is immense. If Brazil were to succumb to a military coup, few can imagine what that could mean for the already politically unstable South American continent.

Bolsonaro’s campaign and subsequent election worry much of the international community. The president-elect’s victory speech echoes that of President Trump. Vowing to put his political foes, including former President Lula and campaign rival Haddad, behind bars and referring to his opposition and other outsiders as “terrorists”, Balsonaro’s post-election speeches share frightening similarities to that of President Trump and other far-right leaders. The world will have to wait and see how many of his campaign promises Bolsonaro will follow up on and whether or not his rhetoric will have far-reaching effects beyond the borders of Brazil.

On October 6th, 2018 Judge Brett Kavanaugh was sworn in as the 114th U.S. Supreme Court Justice after the Senate narrowly voted to confirm him 50-48 (Washington Post). This day marked the end of a tumultuous four month battle between democrats and republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee. His nomination was announced on July 9th along with 25 qualified candidates identified by the Trump administration. The 114th U.S. Supreme Court justice nomination was under close watch from the moment it began since it was President Trump’s second Supreme Court judge placement in less than two years. Filling one of the court’s nine coveted seats is one of most powerful legacies a president can leave behind, and Trump has enjoyed an unusual opportunity to make his mark, twice.

Kavanaugh’s nomination garnered attention when Dr. Christine Blasey Ford came forward with allegations of sexual assault dating back to their time in high school. Although it was interpreted by some as a last ditch effort by the democrats to oppose Kavanaugh’s confirmation, news media outlets said Ford reported the incident as soon as Kavanaugh’s nomination was announced. In early August, Ford contacted California Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein via a letter and reported an allegation of sexual assault involving Judge Kavanaugh and his friend during a party 30 years ago. Importantly, she asked Feinstein to keep the matter confidential. When asked why she responded “why suffer through the annihilation if it’s not going to matter?” (CNN). Her confidentiality wouldn’t remain a secret much longer.

The American people began to hear hits of sexual assault allegations in early September but the details were muddled. Senator Feinstein forwarded the alleged misconduct to the FBI for further investigation with Dr. Ford’s approval. All eyes turned to Kavanaugh. Who was the accuser? Was it true? If so, what did it mean for the nomination? Was this the #MeToo movement making a difference? Was this the #MeToo movement going too far? On September 17th, Kavanaugh visited the White House and issued a statement strongly denying the allegations agreeing to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee (NPR). In response, each of the ten democrats on the committee called on Chairman, Republican Senator Charles Grassley, to delay the vote. Meanwhile at the White House, Kellyanne Conway spoke on television and said the Dr. Ford should not be insulted or ignored, but that her story should be heard. Both parties knew the MeToo environment was going to largely effect the nomination, and both parties wanted to use it to their advantage. The democrats used the MeToo movement to galvanize outcry against Kavanaugh even though they had minimal evidence. The republicans used the MeToo movement rhetoric to cover their bases and assure women voters their voices would be heard. But is that what was really going on? Neither party was innocent, instead, they took advantage of Dr. Ford’s brave testimony and Kavanaugh’s dramatic stage performance to gain followers and polarize our nation further.

The nomination process continued to exasperate long standing grievances between democrats and republicans. Exactly what a serious sexual assault allegation and supreme court nomination should not be. So how did we arrive at this point? What went wrong? We lost trust. We lost trust when our president said that Dr. Ford’s allegations were a “con game” against Kavanaugh and mocked her courageous testimony during a political rally (Fortune). We lost trust when Kavanaugh sat in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee and raised his voice in anger while pointing fingers at his accuser somehow acting as though he was the victim. We lost hope when the democrats walked out of the confirmation hearing signifying the depth of division in our politics. We lost hope when women’s stories and fears became political capital instead of serious allegations. We lost hope when a Supreme Court nomination became the deciding factor in whether or not women matter to our government. We lost hope when the #MeToo movement became the #NotMe rally. What should have happened? A thorough investigation, uninterrupted nor influenced by the White House. Ford could have decided to release the letter sooner so that there was more time for an investigation and less reason for the republicans to frame it as a political last ditch effort. Kavanaugh could have humbled himself and prioritized the importance of women everywhere by stepping down and allowing a new nominee to take his place. We could’ve done better. And I hope next time we will.