MNC and Development Clearinghouse

[strider@xxxxxxxxxxx]

/* Written  5:49 am  Mar  3, 1994 by ei@xxxxxxxxxxx in igc:labr.asia */
/* ---------- "MNC and Development Clearinghouse" ---------- */
MULTINATIONALS & DEVELOPMENT CLEARINGHOUSE
P.O. Box 19405
Washington, D.C. 20036
U.S.A.
 
Telephone: (202) 387-8030
Telefax:   (202) 234-5176
Internet:  mdc@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
 
Dear Friend:
       
Irresponsible behavior by multinational corporations
continues because the people who can stop it lack the necessary
resources and information to do so.  Local environmental and
consumer groups, unions, journalists and community leaders have
only limited access to information about companies operating in
their communities.  Even basic information such as who owns the
factory, where the owners are from, and how much money they make, 
can be nearly impossible to obtain locally. 
 
The Multinationals and Development Clearinghouse helps
people obtain information on multilateral organizations, individual
corporations, industries, products, health and safety regulations and
organizing tactics.  Activists from around the world contact the
Clearinghouse with a variety of questions.                
 
The Clearinghouse is a jointly sponsored project of the
Multinational Monitor, a monthly magazine based in Washington,
D.C., and the Center for Study of Responsive Law, directed by
consumer advocate Ralph Nader.  The Multinational Monitor
circulates internationally and welcomes articles from local
journalists and activists about corporations operating in their
region.  
 
The Clearinghouse responds to information requests on a case-by- 
case basis as quickly as possible and usually without having to
charge.  The identity of those seeking information can be
kept confidential when requested so as not to endanger activists
working in hostile environments. 
 
Some examples of our past work include:  
 
* Helping an investigative reporter from The Weekly Mail in
Johannesburg, South Africa who was writing a story on the
dumping of a hazardous pesticide related to Agent Orange. 
The writer needed information on companies still manufacturing
this banned contaminant.  One of our researchers located a New
Zealand subsidiary of Dow Chemical that produced the substance.  We
were also able to link a pesticide action group from New
Zealand with the reporter for further investigation.
       
* Co-organizing a conference of 74 native leaders and
aboriginal rights supporters from 15 different countries to
discuss multinationals' devastating effect on indigenous
peoples' culture and environment.  Attenders from the Amazon
to Alaska to Australia found that not only were they dealing
with the same problems but often with the same companies.  
 
* Assisting the residents of the tiny Caribbean Island of
Saba in the Dutch West Indies who faced the double threat of
a landfill and an incinerator proposed by Waste Central,
Inc., a Philadelphia-based toxic waste firm.  The company
planned an 80 mile reef adjacent to the island that would be
filled with garbage.  Waste Central's proposal also would
have put the burden of resolving environmental problems on
the island's residents.  The people of Saba credit an expose
of the plan in the Multinational Monitor with blocking Dutch
officials from implementing the plan.  
 
* Obtaining incident reports through a Freedom ofInformation Act
request on accidents in Japanese nuclear power plants.  Japan's
nuclear power agency sends these reports to the U.S. Nuclear
Regulatory Agency but they are not available to citizens in
Japan. Widely disseminated in Japan, this information has
proven invaluable to Japanese activists.
 
* Collecting reports on Du Pont Corporation's nuclear facility
safety records for a Korean anti-pollution group. This group is
challenging the Korean government's plans to build 50 nuclear
power plants in the country using U.S. and French corporations.
 
Hundreds of people have contacted the Clearinghouse for
information such as:
 
1) The history of a company's corporate citizenship.  (e.g.-
Are they polluters?  Have they been known to shut down
plants without warning?  Do they place workers in unhealthy or
unsafe conditions?)
 
2) Helpful U.S. and international citizen action groups.  
 
3) Historically effective strategies for dealing with corporate
misconduct.
 
4) Examples of successful and unsuccessful development projects.
 
5) The health and environmental problems associated with a
product or production process.
 
6) The structure, size and ownership of corporations.      
 
Also accompanying this letter are examples of some of the data
banks and other sources of information available.  It is not an
exhaustive list but provides an idea of the Clearinghouse's
resources.
 
We look forward to hearing from you,
 
Marcia Carroll           
Anthony Murawksi     
 
 
SELECTED RESOURCES AVAILABLE
 
1) The Multinational Monitor Index - A far-reaching and reliable
source for information on multinational corporations operating in the
United States and around the world.  The Index can be
searched by company name, product, industry and country to obtain
relevant articles from the Multinational Monitor magazine.
 
2) Sources on Hazardous Chemicals
 
(A) The New Jersey Fact Sheets - This list, which is released
by the New Jersey State Regulatory Board on Hazardous
Chemicals, provides comprehensive profiles of over 300
hazardous chemicals.  The profiles include: the definition
of the chemical, its hazardous health effects, protective
equipment to be used when handling the substance, how it may
react in the environment and more.
 
(B) Toxic Release Inventory Data - In response to pressure by
U.S. environmental and citizen action groups, congress
enacted The Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know
Act in 1986 which created the Toxic Release Inventory.  The
Inventory is a list of the amount and type of hazardous
chemicals large companies release into the environment. 
Inventory data is collected by the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) and state agencies.  While companies are quickly
finding ways to avoid giving full reports, this list can help
identify which ones are major polluters.
 
3) Sources on Labor Violations
 
(A) Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
Inspection Reports - The Clearinghouse has the results of
these inspection reports for the 50 largest U.S. corporations and can
obtain similar information for most large companies operating in the
United States.  Included are the number of OSHA violations committed
by the company, the seriousness of the violations and the dollar
amount of penalties the company was required to pay.
 
(B) National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) Reports - The NLRB
settles charges of unfair labor practices such as illegal
dismissal for union organizing and sabotage of union
elections.  The Clearinghouse has gathered the totals for
charges against the 50 largest U.S. companies. 
 
4) Legal Records - Companies investing overseas have often been sued
or have faced other court actions due to their irresponsible
management and production activities.  A search of legal records can
reveal whether a company has been sued for injuring people, both in
the workplace and the marketplace.  If a company has
been convicted of bribing officials, violating financial
regulation or similar misconduct, records of the case can be
obtained from the relevant government agency.
 
5) Securities and Exchange Commission Files - Public companies
which trade their securities on any U.S. exchange such as the New
York Stock Exchange or the American Stock Exchange are required by
law to report financial and other pertinent data to the
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).  This information is
filed in a number of forms including the 10k form which
identifies the principle product and/or service of the company, its
principle markets, whether it has been forced to pay any
major fines, and who holds the majority of its stock. 
 
6) United Nations List of Banned or Restricted Materials - This list
contains most materials and products that have been banned or are
controlled by various countries because they are unsafe.  Some
countries have higher standards for public safety and can be used to
support similar bans or controls in other countries.