China Drafts Law to Boost Unions and End Abuse - Wall St. pissed

[SOS]

From the New York Times Page A1 - 10/13/06
Print edition headline includes: "Opposition Voiced by US and Other Corporations"

SHANGHAI, Oct. 12 — China is planning to adopt a new law that seeks to crack down on sweatshops and protect workers’ rights by giving labor unions real power for the first time since it introduced market forces in the 1980’s. The move, which underscores the government’s growing concern about the widening income gap and threats of social unrest, is setting off a battle with American and other foreign corporations that have lobbied against it by hinting that they may build fewer factories here. Some of the world’s big companies have expressed concern that the new rules would revive some aspects of socialism and borrow too heavily from labor laws in union-friendly countries like France and Germany.

Hoping to head off some of the rules, representatives of some American companies are waging an intense lobbying campaign to persuade the Chinese government to revise or abandon the proposed law.
The skirmish has pitted the American Chamber of Commerce — which represents corporations including Dell, Ford, General Electric, Microsoft and Nike — against labor activists and the All-China Federation of Trade Unions, the Communist Party’s official union organization.
The workers’ advocates say that the proposed labor rules are long overdue, and they accuse the American businesses of favoring a system that has led to widespread labor abuse.

“You have big corporations opposing basically modest reforms,” said Tim Costello, an official of the group and a longtime labor union advocate. “This flies in the face of the idea that globalization and corporations will raise standards around the world.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/13/business/worldbusiness/13sweat.html?hp&ex=1160798400&en=a6f855fccccf9c59&ei=5094&partner=homepage

And so we see the face of Wall Street globalization unmasked. Bathroom breaks for abused workers? That's unacceptable socialism!
Disgusting.

[enki23]

1. it's not surprising, but sure as fuck is wrong.

.

[Selatius]

2. China is worried about a popular uprising in the population, that's why

The workers are being exploited, and they know it, and they are pissed.

The conditions in the countryside are horrific, and the government is starting to run into more and more protests from workers.

The best way to decapitate this upwelling is to co-opt the issue by finally granting workers the right to unionize.

If China does not do this, if it continues to let laissez-faire capitalism brutalize its population, then the Chinese Communist Party will be overthrown in a new and violent revolution of pissed off workers.

[stepnw1f]

3. "Time to Find Cheap Labor Elsewhere....."

[ThomCat]

5. With China soon to be the worlds largest market

they have a lot of clout to demand that products be manufactured there. I don't think we will see such a huge transfer to some other country.

[NewJeffCT]

16. They also have 1.3 billion people

which is 1 billion more than the US, and 800 million or so more than the EU. China is going to be like the US was in the late 1800s through the mid 20th century - the world's source of cheap goods.

[loyalsister]

31. I suppose we could....

strengthen immigration laws and improve realtions with Mexico?

[MrPrax]

4. Ironic...

Capitalist hate trade unions even while they are trading with obstensively communist countries...?

If there is a NEED for a trade union in a communist country, then it's a failure of communism.

Lesson learned: capitalists will do business with anybody, except the people who actually produce their products and services.

[Touchdown]

6. Well, there's always Africa to exploit next.

Share the sweat!:woohoo:

Yes, Virginia, it is...:sarcasm:

[malaise]

7. Fugg neoliberalism and

globalization. I can't wait for American workers to rise up. The end of that crap is nigh!

[CelticWinter]

8. That will teach big business to take jobs overseas

for cheap and less than human wages. I hope they get their asses kicked from hell to breakfast.

[williesgirl]

9. Big business has to be outed for the scumbags they are. They

move our jobs there and then fight to keep the sweatshops they created. recommended

[SOS]

10. And these are the same corporations

that have utterly corrupted our political system.
imho, this is the #1 issue. Get these corrupt, greedy profiteers out of our elections.
Perhaps it will be China, in a self-preservation move, that finally says "enough!".

[Zodiak]

11. Revoke corporate personhood

and revoke the charters of corps that violate human rights and labor standards.

Two things that MUST happen for this country to remain a democracy....and to avert frivolous wars.

Good for the Chinese!!

[robinlynne]

12. The American Chamber of Commerce, funded by us, is reaching out to

interfere with another country's labor laws. Is that legal? We used to do that under the guise of the CIA, in secret, not out in the open....

[NewJeffCT]

17. the heads of GM & UTC

went to Canada to lobby them to strengthen Canada's universal health care system... UTC is United Technologies, parent of Carrier, Otis, etc.

So, I don't think it's unusual for US business interests to lobby foreign governments.

[WinkyDink]

27. Yes---TO SAVE MONEY, not to help employees per se.

“The Canadian plan has been a significant advantage for investing in Canada,” says GM Canada spokesman David Patterson, noting that in the United States, GM spends $1,400 per car on health benefits. Indeed, with the provinces sharing 75 percent of the cost of Canadian healthcare, it’s no surprise that GM, Ford and Chrysler have all been shifting car production across the border at such a rate that the name “Motor City” should belong to Windsor, not Detroit.

http://www.inthesetimes.com/site/main/article/2081/

[misternormal]

13. Of course, big business...

...opposes any reform in China... damn Hummers and shit are expensive... How the hell can CEOs and corporate big wigs live in the lap of luxury if they have to pay a person what a job is worth...???

Are the Chinese crazy???? :sarcasm:

[w4rma]

14. Dell, Ford, General Electric, Microsoft and Nike. Remember those names.

They need to be taken down for this lobbying. Don't buy anything from these companies.

[WinkyDink]

28. And remember the big names who shill for them, like Tiger Woods.

[mark414]

15. go China

even if the gov't is only doing it to preserve their power...at least they're doing it!

[earth mom]

18. ROFL!

The corporate rat bastards in the U.S. are gonna get theirs! Oh poor babies, not enough profits in it for ya? Tough shit! :rofl:

[SoCalDem]

19. Very clever move on their part..

They have brand new, state of the art factories now...built by American "investors"..

If those investors now have to start paying high wages, their profits will shrink, and it will no longer be worth the effort.. If they leave, the Chinese will still have the factories...and the workers..

Seems to me we did something similar in the middle east when we set up the oil companies there.. That worked out well, didn't it :eyes:

[gulfcoastliberal]

20. The Chinese leadership is scared of its populace.

I read about the legions of unemployed former state-industry workers who now have nothing. the Manchurian area is full of unemplyed people who move south looking for unskilled work. The farmers are pissed that toxic waste gets dumped on their fields. They have a huge mess on their hands: a lot of angry citizens who have absolutely nothing to lose. Guess they're trying to put a band-aid over those who have jobs by allowing them to have a higher quality of life to keep them loyal to their great capitalist "market reforms" that leaves so many of their compatriots behind.

[hunter]

21. Preparing to pull the plug on U.S.

All the stuff they export to us can stay at home in China.

[Gwerlain]

22. If those big corporations think they're gonna get the...

socialists to go along with suppressing the unions, the first question has to be, "Who the hell do you think you're talking to?"

[Rex]

23. Corporations crying socialism, how fucking pathetic.

China will do whatever it wants to. Just like it always has done. Oh no! Unions and a far wage! Socialism!!! :eyes:

[OneBlueSky]

24. the truth about American capitalism in a nutshell . . .

as long as the sole objective is corporations in making money, and as long as the government continues to essentially not regulate them, there will never be social justice here or anywhere else . . .

[pampango]

25. Glad that China is making some "progress."

The article says that labor costs (wages?) in China are rising. That is good. Given the sacrifices made in the US, I hope that Chinese workers are beginning to benefit.

"The proposed law is being debated after Wal-Mart Stores, the world’s biggest retailer, was forced to accept unions in its Chinese outlets." That's a bit of progress, even though before this new legislation, unions in China were very controlled by the government.

The proposed new law "underscores the government’s growing concern about the widening income gap and threats of social unrest, is setting off a battle with American and other foreign corporations that have lobbied against it." Ha, for the good ol' days of universal poverty and equality (except for those party leaders who were more "equal" than others). I do not know of any country that has industrialized without some concentration of wealth (either corporate exploitation or government exploitation ), but I am glad that the Chinese government is proactively dealing with this concentration and its social consequences, assuming that the new laws will be enforced.

It is a shame, though, that foreign corporation have (predictably and selfishly) opposed this new legislation. They can read the handwriting on the wall. If China does achieve some level of prosperity and workers' rights in the long run, the gravy train will be over for them. China will have used these corporations to achieve its development goals, create a self-sustaining domestic economy, then told them to either stay under new rules of move on and let Chinese companies take over.

[WinkyDink]

26. Corporations have NEVER, EVER, EVER been about "raising

standards"!!!!

The other day, I looked at an $80 pair of Steve Madden shoes---"Made in China". What was that, a $79.90 profit?

And don't EVEN get me started on pollution in China.

[Junkdrawer]

29. If China creates a consumer class, US corporate influence will dwindle...

"We don't need no stinking Most Favored Nation status..."

This is a sea change....

[Omaha Steve]

30. Anything in China is an improvement

This is good news.

[SPKrazy]

32. That Ship Has Left The Port Already

cheaper labor elsewhere

eventually they will run our of cheaper labor in 3rd world countries and will have to draw on the newly created 3rd world economies in places like the US, Europe, etc.

[pampango]

33. Third World poverty disappearing? Reappearing in US & Europe?

"eventually they will run our of cheaper labor in 3rd world countries" That sounds like a globalization promoter at work. The implication of running out of cheap labor is that the wages in the Third World get raised high enough to be not "cheap" any longer.

You don't mention any figures, but what if Third World wages improved from $1 a day to $10 a day, still very low by American standards but a huge increase in the standard of living in poor countries? Is this not a good thing? Even if this resulted in a stagnation of US wages for a number of years, so that our per capita income stayed at $20,000 or whatever it is, would this not be a kind for foreign aid that Americans would support?

I realize that the last part of your sentence shows your belief that North America and Europe would end up as poor as the Third World is now. If that is the trade off, then I accept your reluctance to help the rest of the world. If, however, we can help the Third World raise its standard of living, while maintaining ours, then I say we should do whatever we can.

[SPKrazy]

34. Me, A Globalization Promoter?

What ya smokin?

Want some too.

"I realize that the last part of your sentence shows your belief that North America and Europe would end up as poor as the Third World is now. If that is the trade off, then I accept your reluctance to help the rest of the world. If, however, we can help the Third World raise its standard of living, while maintaining ours, then I say we should do whatever we can."

I sound like a globalization promoter?

Bushco is making sure that America and Europe will be as poor as third world countries are when it's all said and done.

Bush will live in South America with the other Nazis

North America will be destitute with no manufacturing base left, and an all service oriented economy.

Can't wait, can you?

[pampango]

35. You indicated that Third World wages would rise and not be a source of

cheap labor. I do not see that as a bad thing, since most of the world's population is much worse off than we are.

America has plenty of wealth now. We don't need to get wealthier, just distribute it more fairly and meet society's needs. Will Bush do that? Of course, not. I only hope that his Democratic successor does not seek to slow the growth of prosperity in the poor world in order to improve the fairness of our own country.

Whom should I care more about? The family that makes $500 a year, the one that makes $20,000 a year or the one that makes $200,000 a year? I realize that most people answer that based on where on the world map each family is located.

[SPKrazy]

36. Oh Come On

you read a lot into what I've stated

don't go off on me with the holier than thou "I want everyone to make a fair wage and you don't"

Of course I want people to make fair wages, and to eliminate poverty in the world

I simply stated an opinion that I had about the B*shies plans to decimate our economy, enrich the "globalists", and China has already been "outsourced" to countries with cheaper labor than they do.

Eventually (if we live long enough) we will see an equalization of wages around the world, before that time, expect to see wages pushed even lower in our country (something that most of us aren't used to and really don't look forward to no matter how liberal we are- I mean, who in their right mind wants to think about bread lines, etc.) to the point that some day, we will have the cheap labor and then eventually you won't find places that have labor that much cheaper.

so, while you "realize" that most people answer the question about who they care about based on where they are on the map (I have no idea where you are) do you also realize that unless you are very well off, this equalization process of wages around the world will likely affect you too.