by James Parks
Both Democratic presidential candidates and a majority of the American public believe U.S. trade deals should include assurances that workers’ basic rights are respected. But until such provisions become part of trade agreements and are enforced, private corporations who contract with foreign suppliers hold the reins.
In response to press reports and demands by consumers, workers, students and human rights groups, many major companies created voluntary codes of conduct to try to ensure their products are produced “ethically.” But do those codes really work?
In this month’s Washington Monthly magazine, T.A. Frank, a former sweatshop inspector or “corporate social responsibility monitor,” describes what it’s like on the ground for those who are charged with enforcing codes of conduct.
In 2002 and 2003, Frank inspected foreign factories for clients such as K-Mart, Ann Taylor and Home Depot to see the extent to which suppliers were complying with codes of conducts and local laws. In the process, he says he learned the tricks local factories use to get around the inspection system and how to spot which corporations want their products to be made ethically.
Frank, now a fellow at the New America Foundation and a consulting editor for Washington Monthly, says his experience convinced him that standards are critical:
We are, like it or not, profoundly affected by the labor standards of our trading partners. If their standards are low, they exert a downward pressure on our own. That’s why monitoring and enforcement have such an important role to play.
We don’t expect developing nations to match us in what their workers earn. But when a Chinese factory saves money by making its employees breathe hazardous fumes and, by doing so, closes down a U.S. factory that spends money on proper ventilation and masks, that’s wrong. It’s wrong by any measure. And that’s what we can do something about if we try. It’s the challenge we face as the walls come down, the dolls, pajamas, and televisions come in, and, increasingly, the future of our workers here is tied to that of workers who are oceans away.
Click here to read the entire article, “Confessions of a Sweatshop Inspector.”