About the Campaign

As immigrants and consumers, we have a right to demand that corporations be responsible to the communities we love

After unsuccessful attempts to engage Western Union to respond meaningfully to the Transnational Community Benefits Agreement (TCBA), TIGRA chose to deliver a personal message Western Union Board members during the May 10, 2007 Shareholders' Meeting: be a genuine partner of immigrant families around the world or face a boycott. The campaign gave the company 100 days to adopt our key demands:

Western Union chose to be silent during the 100-day period. The Campaign sent more than 20,000 postcards collected from 24 cities around the United States, along with thousands of emails and faxes, urging the company to respond to our demands. The company ignored our plea, but sent Mario Hernandez, Public Affairs Director and lone Mexican with rank within the company, as the token "Latino emissary" to sow intrigue and offer "grants" to organizations associated with the campaign. No one accepted his offers; in fact, a few returned their grants as a sign of protest.

But our voices can no longer be silenced. On September 10, 2007, we announce the global boycott of Western Union (as well as Vigo and Orlandi Valuta, also owned by WU). Together with more than a 180 immigrant organizations in the US and partners in Asia, Latin America, and Europe, TIGRA has put Western Union and the multi-billion dollar remittances industry on notice: the days of taking advantage of our love are numbered. A global movement for transnational economic justice has begun.

Facts about migrant comunities
• Due to increasing instability and the effects of globalization around the world, the number of people being displaced and migrating to support their families has increased to 200 million.
• Last year alone, migrants around the world sent $260 billion dollars to their families and communities. Typically, a low-wage immigrant worker in the United States sends $250-$300 a month, constituting up to 50% of her monthly savings after paying bills.
• Sending-country governments are preparing to send more of their people abroad so they can receive more remittances for development, while receiving-country governments are militarizing their borders and deporting undocumented immigrants.
• Immigrants risk their lives and work under terrible conditions to support their families while governments persecute and take away their rights, and money transfer companies get wealthy from their expression of love to their families.

They are everywhere: Western Union, the largest company, has close to 350,000 agents worldwide: More than ALL banks combined and 10X more than ALL MACDONALD’S in the world.
They don’t care about the communities they do business in: in 2005, they made $4 billion and made 118 million transactions worldwide. Western Union charges 3x what it costs to send the money, and only invests 49 cents for every $100 they make back to communities. Even Wal-Mart donates more money.
Government does very little to make sure they give back to communities: they are the banks in our neighborhoods, but they don’t have the same responsibilities as banks do. For example, the Community Reinvestment Act doesn’t apply to Western Union.
The company was founded during the lawless “wild, wild west period” when might was right: Founded in 1871 in New York, Western Union expanded rapidly westward, displacing Native American communities to lay the wires for the telegraph.
They profit from the work of immigrants: Christina Gold, the CEO, received a $16 million dollar bonus last year, while it takes a full week of work to pay off the fees Western Union charges during a year of sending money. Western Union takes advantage of our need to support our families.