ANTI-CORPORATE PROTECTION MARKET

Elaine Bernard

One of the more entertaining pieces of email to cross my screen in the last few weeks, was a cover letter with a "Guide to the Seattle Meltdown: A Compendium of Activists at the WTO Ministerial." The letter noted that the "perceived success" of the groups in disrupting the WTO meetings in Seattle would be a boon to anti-corporate protesters. In particular, it would heighten their visibility and "substantially enhance fundraising capability," deepen already existing coalitions and contribute to the broadening of the coalitions "to include non-traditional allies" and with a Presidential election campaign and key trade votes coming up, provide activists with "golden opportunities to seek wider recognition and gain additional strength." Finally, these "high profile battles will allow activists to further institutionalize and consolidate their gains, increase coordination, gain greater media attention and expand their targeting of business interests."

Hard to disagree with this. The punch line, however, is who sent out the letter and guide: one Gardner Peckham, of "Black, Kelly, Scruggs & Healy, A Burson Marsteller Company." Burson Marsteller is one of the big Washington corporate advertising, image, and public relations firms. You got to love the business community – every action, every criticism, every turn of events is just another business opportunity.

Below is letter in full. It's fascinating to see who is listed and who is not in the guide. For example, I'm grossly insulted that they missed out ZNet, one of the more effective and up-to-date activists website. Similarly, I'm sure that many in the labor movement will be insulted that while they chose to highlight the Steelworkers, Autoworkers, Machinists, Teamsters, UNITE, the Sheetmetal workers, the AFL-CIO and what surely must be a first, the historically very conservative International Confederation of Free Trade Unions, they insultingly left off, the small but effective UE (United Electrical Workers) who have long been involved in North/South solidarity, and especially work with unionists in Mexico.

On the other hand, they did list the "French Peasants Confederation," in fact the only non-US labor organization (other than the ICFTU). The French Peasants Confederation, they explain, is lead by Jose Bove "a French goat farmer who tore up a McDonald's restaurant with a tractor to protest US trade sanctions on Rocquefort cheese."

Much to my surprise, they list the "Humane Society" as another group to watch out for. These rebels plan to "collect 2001 signatures by the end of 2001 calling on all governments to stop the WTO from interfering with national environmental and health and safety laws." I now know I made the right decision when I decided to give the local cat/dog shelter a donation this year.

The guide tends not to have many of the communities of faith on their list – the notable exception being "Christian Aid," an organization of British and Irish churches "engaged in relief work in more than 60 countries to improve lives and tackle the causes of poverty and injustice." However, USAS, the United Students Against Sweatshops, one of the newest organizations, will be pleased to see that they made the list – along with well-known, campaigning organizations such as Public Citizen,'s Global Trade Watch, 50 Years is Enough, Friends of the Earth, National Labor Committee, Greenpeace, Global Exchange and the Rainforest Network

"What is less understood – but perhaps more significant – is the potential ability of the emerging coalition of these groups to seriously impact broader, longer-term corporate interests."

 

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Black, Kelly, Scruggs & Healy A Burson Marsteller Company 1801 K Street, N.W.,Suite 901-L,Washington, D.C. 20006-1201 (202) 530-0500, (202) 530-4800

January 14, 2000

Dear [Corporate Client]:

Enclosed is our "Guide to the Seattle Meltdown: A Compendium of Activists at the WTO Ministerial". The "Guide" is a comprehensive listing of the activist groups which protested against the WTO Ministerial in Seattle this past November. It lists the groups and their leaders we were able to identify, descriptions of their ethos (largely in their own words), as well as web site addresses and other useful information. We wanted to share this "Guide" with you, not so much as a retrospective on the past, but as an alarming window on the future.

The spectacle created in Seattle during the WTO Ministerial meeting by a diverse collection of activists may have significant short-term ramifications for the business community. The perceived success of these groups in disrupting Seattle and in contributing to the failure of the WTO meeting will be a dramatic boon to them in several ways. First, their victory and heightened visibility will lead to substantially enhanced fundraising capability. Second, the smell of victory will lead to a deepening of already existing coalitions and will strengthen the recognition that broadening such coalitions to include non-traditional allies exponentially increases effectiveness. Third, the Presidential election campaign and several likely trade votes in Congress this year will give activists golden opportunities to seek wider recognition and gain additional strength. These high profile battles will allow activists to further institutionalize and consolidate their gains, increase coordination, gamier greater media attention and expand their targeting of business interests.

What is less understood -- but perhaps more significant -- is the potential ability of the emerging coalition of these groups to seriously impact broader, longer-term corporate interests. Seattle was not an anomaly and the consistent anti-corporate message of virtually all the groups who participated there in November is not a temporary phenomenon. Many have traditionally highlighted alleged corporate misconduct in mass mail fund raising campaigns. More recently, some environmental groups have resorted to targeting corporations for contributions in return for suspending their public ire.

At Black, Kelly, Scruggs & Healey, we have developed a capability direction of these groups, as well as to defend clients against their attacks. I hope you find the enclosed "Guide" useful and if you have any questions, please call me at: (202)530-4805.

Sincerely,

Gardner G. Peckham Managing Director