Today I was walking around campus and saw an enthusiastic group of protesters that were vehemently against sweatshops. Apparently they weren't too happy to find out that much of USC's merchandise is manufactured in sweat shops, so they decided to strip down to their underwear and hold signs that say "sweatshop free USC." As far as protests go, it was effective because it got me thinking about the issue. I began discussing it with some friends and realized there were overlooked aspects to sweatshops that these protesters, though well-intentioned, do not consider. Sweatshops aren't quite as evil as everyone thinks based on the evidence of their unfair wages, and something should be done to solve the problem of unfair wages without shutting sweatshops down entirely because that would only be even more detrimental to the already impoverished employees.
I imagine the main point these protesters would argue is that these sweatshops provide poor working conditions and low wages to people in other countries, and they believe there should be some sort of improvements made to help these employees live better lives. This is understandable since, according to DoSomething.org, "85% of sweatshop workers are young women [aged] 15-25 [who] have to spend 50-75% of their income on food" because they make such a little amount of money with each paycheck. I definitely would not say that sweatshops are fair to their employees, and I believe there should be some measures taken to increase base wages of international sweatshop workers. However, I think that stopping the use of sweatshops entirely would not be the correct solution to the problem.
Stopping use of sweatshops would put hundreds of people and their families out of jobs and in a worse condition with each sweatshop that loses business as a result of a boycott like the one on the USC campus today. Imagine a sweatshop employing 300 people who make about $5 a day. Sure, they can't live luxuriously or even at a desired quality of life, but at least it is better than making absolutely nothing. If that sweatshop were shut down because people over here in the U.S. "wised up" and decided not buy products manufactured in a sweatshop that has poor working conditions and low wages, then each and every worker at that sweatshop is out of a job. Now they can't even feed their families at the level they could when they were only making $5 a day. What's worse, these sweatshops are probably some of the biggest employers in the area in which the workers live, so they likely won't be able to find a job at all after the closure of their previous place of employment.
Another thing to consider is that not every place in the world has the same standard of living and levels of fair wages as the U.S. In China, for example, the poverty line would be any family making less than $1 a day per person. Compared to the U.S. poverty line, which is a little over $11,000 a year for a single person, this is a ridiculously small amount. The cost of living in China is much less than here in the U.S., though, so less is needed to support your family. Based on the statistic I mentioned earlier, I still think sweatshop workers make way too little, but I think Americans need to take into consideration when discussing things like wages in other countries that not every country lives at the same financial level as we do. Paying the sweatshop workers in a place like Taiwan the minimum wage here in America would make them wealthier than a higher-skilled worker in their country.
I'd like to conclude with this fact from DoSomething.org:
"For less than 1% of Nike’s advertising budget, wages could be doubled for all workers making Nike university clothing."
Do I think that, in cases like this one involving Nike, workers at sweatshops deserve better wages and working conditions? Yes, that should be obvious if you are even the least bit moral. I do not think that stopping the use of sweatshops or boycotting them is a good way to achieve this goal. I urge you to find another way to take action like getting involved in political activism for the issue. Just do it.
I like this post, because in a way it shows how naive and hypocritical are society is in terms of the goods we buy today. We are now a service based economy and we have stepped away from production because our minimum wage is to high for most companies to support. No this is where I become cynical about us americans today, we want cheap prices for our goods, but we will not take a pay cut to have it made in America. And then when it is made in sweatshops in other countries, where the companies save money and cut costs that are then passed on to the consumers; human rights groups attack the companies for engaging in poor conditions or treating there workers like slaves and giving them low wages. What I would like to say is this, make up your mind america, what is it exactly that you want - low prices for goods, more jobs to come to america, or human rights for all - because you can have some of those ideas but you can't have it all, this just the reality.
ReplyDeleteOkay, here's the thing. There's a far cry from sweatshops and normal working conditions. Sweatshops generally move people from a foreign country and then put them in a US territory with the promise of teaching them how to speak English, to get them US citizenship, and give them some starting capital once they've worked off their debt. Then they tell that person "well, your debts just keep building, you're using our tools, sleeping in our bunks, eating our food, so you actually owe us MORE than what you started owing us."
ReplyDeleteI don't mind foreign workers who, while they work in conditions that seem barbaric to us, are working in the standard conditions for their country and have a BASE LINE of safety, if not comfort, laws and practices in place. Sweatshops, as I have defined above, however are little more than debt-slavery camps.
I think these USC students need to think about educated protesting. In fact, I think everyone needs to think about educated protesting. This post helped shed light onto this idea. Although the sweatshop protesters at USC did a great job of bringing the issue to awareness, it isn't simply enough to do away from sweatshops or protest these institutions as a whole. I'm glad you looked into the issues and circumstances that surround this sensitive issue. Much of the problem has to do with corporate greed and selfishness. But it's important to note that these sweatshops are still providing a way of life for third world country citizens. It's definitely a tricky and sensitive line to cross.
ReplyDeleteAgreed. I think it is wonderful to see people protesting for something they believe in (especially here at USC since it seems like no cares about anything outside of Greek life) but these "We hate sweatshop" people have always just made me want to pat them on the head and say, "you're cute." As noble as it is to fight for equality/fair wages/safe work conditions, these people normally do not understand the actual issues whatsoever. I used to really be into fighting against human trafficking and have done a lot of research on sweatshops too since it kind of goes hand in hand and people don't realized that, as you said, $1 a day in China is actually not so bad for their costs of living, but when we hear that here we freak out because we compare it to our own lives. Also, I like how you ended with "just do it."
ReplyDeleteWhile reading this article I immediately thought about all the posts done in this class about USC being too large of a presence in the downtown Los Angeles community and being something of an imperialist. Maybe a step in the right direction could be to have the fashion district produce USC's fan gear. Though I laugh at the thought myself, because I know the major companies would never give up their licensing deals, nor would USC trust downtown LA to manufacture its goods, I think its worth a moments consideration. There are a lot of industries in downtown Los Angeles that could benefit from USC's immense spending power. This could be a way for USC to help improve the condition of this area while getting the things it needs.
ReplyDeleteOne thing to remember also is that USC, as a private institution, is also out to make a profit. Though it would be wrong to classify it as a profit seeking business in many ways its goal is to make money to continue to expand and attract great professors and new programs of study. While those protestors are admirable for speaking out, I would also ask them what they have taken away from USC. I'm sure they have gotten something valuable from this school and they must realize that the shirts sold in the school store are helping fund the education they have had access to at USC.
It's an interesting post and brings up a good discussion topic. Many of these protesters at times may not be fully understanding the bigger picture of what they protesting about. These views on wages is primarily, I think, based on US numbers and therefore the comparison made is incorrect. There are countries to which $11,000 a year would allow them to live a luxurious life. I agree with you when you say something is better than nothing. Protesters are protesting but not realizing that if these people are placed out their job, their life may become even more for difficult than it is with them making $1 a day.
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