The war on labor continues apace
The world flatteners (aka "cheap labor conservatives", aka "Friedmen") continue to do everything they can to return workers to slavery. Democratic senators are so afraid of a Bush veto on an anti-terrorism bill if any union rights for airport screeners are included that they are basically giving aWol everything he wants without a fight. When labor-supported Democrats are willing to sacrifice worker rights for yet another stupid anti-terror bill, you know that the terrorists have won.
Meanwhile, Jean notes that yesterday (March 8) was International Women's Day, and was the 150th anniversary of a walkout by women workers in New York's garment district intended to draw attention to their abysmal working conditions: "12-hour days, lack of benefits, sexual harassment, sexual assault on the job, and unfair wages." Despite other protests in later years, little was accomplished until the horrific Triangle Sirtwaist Factory fire killed 145 women in New York. "They were locked in the building to ensure that they would not take breaks away from their stations even to use the one washroom, which did not work adequately."
Eventually, after decades of protests and other similar tragedies, working conditions finally improved. Unfortunately, the world flatteners wouldn't let this stand. Conditions in the garment district today are just as bad as they were 100 years ago--the only difference being that the garment district is now in Bangladesh. From Jean:
Read all of Jean's post--she does an excellent job of juxtaposing the situation in New York 100 years ago with that in Bangladesh today, complete with pictures.
And Eli at Left I on the News links to a Boston Globe article about a recent raid on a New Bedford leather manufacturer by some 300 immigration agents (plus helicopters), who arrested some 350 employees thought to be "illegal" immigrants. The employer, a "defense" contractor, was also indicted. You may be wondering, "What are the world flatteners thinking? Don't they need those 'illegals' as a ready supply of cheap labor to keep American workers poor and docile?" Of course they do. But arresting 350 of the over ten million "illegals" in this country hardly puts a dent in the supply, but it certainly adds to the fear they feel--which is likely to make them even more poor and docile. As an immigrant advocate from New Bedford noted in that Globe article: "I question the timing on this. We're on the eve of another introduction of comprehensive immigration reform. My hope is that many people will have the opportunity to normalize their status. This is going to drive people back into the shadows and make them much more vulnerable."
One thing you can be sure that Congress won't discuss in their immigration "reform" discussions--the fact that the world flatteners are largely responsible for the collapse of job markets in Latin America because of "free trade" agreements and huge farm subsidies here in the US. Trashing NAFTA, CAFTA, and the WTO and eliminating all subsidies for Big Agra would reduce the "illegal" population much more effectively, and humanely, than all of the Gestapo-style roundups the world flatteners can muster.
And Eli points out that the world flatteners already have a plan B, just in case their wingnut accomplices succeed in deporting most of the "illegals": convict labor. This is precisely the system used in the South in the late 19th century, what David Oshinsky called "worse than slavery" with much justification in his book. Read my post from last August for more on the evils of convict labor. With the Patriot Act in place and habeus corpus effectively gone, there are now 300 million potential convict laborers in the US.
Meanwhile, Jean notes that yesterday (March 8) was International Women's Day, and was the 150th anniversary of a walkout by women workers in New York's garment district intended to draw attention to their abysmal working conditions: "12-hour days, lack of benefits, sexual harassment, sexual assault on the job, and unfair wages." Despite other protests in later years, little was accomplished until the horrific Triangle Sirtwaist Factory fire killed 145 women in New York. "They were locked in the building to ensure that they would not take breaks away from their stations even to use the one washroom, which did not work adequately."
Eventually, after decades of protests and other similar tragedies, working conditions finally improved. Unfortunately, the world flatteners wouldn't let this stand. Conditions in the garment district today are just as bad as they were 100 years ago--the only difference being that the garment district is now in Bangladesh. From Jean:
Outrage following more Bangladesh garment worker deaths
Three tragedies hit Bangladesh factories in one week, leaving scores dead, wounded
Hundreds were reported dead or injured following three separate incidents in the Bangladesh garment and textile sector last week, according to various local and international news and Bangladeshi trade union reports. [...]
[...] The spate of tragedies began on Thursday, February 23 when a fire, possibly caused by an electrical short circuit, destroyed the four-story KTS Textile Industries in Bangladesh's port city of Chittagong. Initial reports stated that 54 were killed and at least 60 were injured, however other sources peg the death toll at several hundred in what local garment workers rights' advocates are calling the worst tragedy in the history of the Bangladesh garment industry. Over 1,000 workers were reportedly in the factory at the time of the 7 p.m. fire. According to the workers, the exits were locked. [...]
Read all of Jean's post--she does an excellent job of juxtaposing the situation in New York 100 years ago with that in Bangladesh today, complete with pictures.
And Eli at Left I on the News links to a Boston Globe article about a recent raid on a New Bedford leather manufacturer by some 300 immigration agents (plus helicopters), who arrested some 350 employees thought to be "illegal" immigrants. The employer, a "defense" contractor, was also indicted. You may be wondering, "What are the world flatteners thinking? Don't they need those 'illegals' as a ready supply of cheap labor to keep American workers poor and docile?" Of course they do. But arresting 350 of the over ten million "illegals" in this country hardly puts a dent in the supply, but it certainly adds to the fear they feel--which is likely to make them even more poor and docile. As an immigrant advocate from New Bedford noted in that Globe article: "I question the timing on this. We're on the eve of another introduction of comprehensive immigration reform. My hope is that many people will have the opportunity to normalize their status. This is going to drive people back into the shadows and make them much more vulnerable."
One thing you can be sure that Congress won't discuss in their immigration "reform" discussions--the fact that the world flatteners are largely responsible for the collapse of job markets in Latin America because of "free trade" agreements and huge farm subsidies here in the US. Trashing NAFTA, CAFTA, and the WTO and eliminating all subsidies for Big Agra would reduce the "illegal" population much more effectively, and humanely, than all of the Gestapo-style roundups the world flatteners can muster.
And Eli points out that the world flatteners already have a plan B, just in case their wingnut accomplices succeed in deporting most of the "illegals": convict labor. This is precisely the system used in the South in the late 19th century, what David Oshinsky called "worse than slavery" with much justification in his book. Read my post from last August for more on the evils of convict labor. With the Patriot Act in place and habeus corpus effectively gone, there are now 300 million potential convict laborers in the US.
Labels: labor
