I agree entirely. Sounds like a good solution. The Jungle was required reading when I was in high school, but I don't believe it is anylonger. I had an uncle that worked for Oscar Meyer in Wisconsin when I was in high school and his impression was that while some had changed, the majority of the methods were still not that much different (hopefully it is better now). I have not eaten bologna or hot dogs since.

Tracy

>Good morning Tracy;
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>Would I would like to see is the following:
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>If a business based in the United States wishes to set up shop for manufacturing, etc. in a foreign country they should have to comply with the laws (labor, environmental, etc.) of the United States or the country where the business will be located, which ever is more strict. In no case will such company violate any laws of either nation.
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>I say this to honor the many people and years taken to attempt to protect workers from harmful actions taken by companies in the name of profit.
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>Have you read “The Jungle” by Upton Sinclair? American business at its finest and it was hardly 1900. Have things improved since then?
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>Where is Theodore Roosevelt when we need him! :)
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>The story goes that Theodore Roosevelt was eating breakfast in the Oval Office on a Sunday morning. He had a plate of bacon and eggs and was reading “The Jungle”. When he got to the part about the slaughterhouses in Chicago and how animals were butchered he threw the plate of food through the window. Within a few hours Roosevelt had created the USDA to inspect meat before it was sold to the public. It is said the company described in the book was Swift and Company.
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>Tom
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>>Hi Tom, I am aware of how this situation came to pass. It is a sad state of affairs. I believe that I stated that I believe all countries should enforce labor laws AT LEAST AS STRICT as ours. If there is no longer any monetory reason for manufacturers to relocate their factories to other countries, then they will either stay in the U.S. or close down and a new product will replace it. It is not our responsibility to provide employment to other countries nor to ensure that they employ safe standards that meet U.S. regulations while in a foreign country. Are the ONLY employers in those countries Americans? What is their own government for? Our citizens FOUGHT for these standards and have earned them. Citizens of other nations can do the same in their own country--it is not our job to ensure they have the same working conditions in their country that we have in ours. Everyone wants us to stay out of their affairs but they complain regardless-you cannot have it both ways.
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>>Tracy
>>
>>
>>>Tracy;
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>>>This issue is complex and has many facets. A report I saw stated that Nike pays 1.5 cents labor for each shoe made in China, and they retail for $150 a pair here. You hear the news that a kid here is killed for his/her “tennis shoes”.
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>>>American companies want to maximize profits so they move to other countries where labor is cheep and life is cheaper. After decades of unions fighting in this country for safe working environments and conditions of employment, the government stepped in and agreed by passing laws. To negate these improvements in chemical handling, labor relations, etc., the American company moves to a foreign country. The argument is the American labor is “too expensive”.
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>>>Electronic manufacturers moved operations to Mexico, where the workers are paid about $5.80 a day. Many employees handle dangerous chemicals and suitable safety standards do not exist. If you are injured or become ill you will be replaced. There are many people in Mexico that are standing in line to have a job.
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>>>The textile industry is yet another area where offshore labor or even domestic labor is a serious issue. During the last 30 years the argument has been “we are a service society – not a manufacturing society”. We should sit at home while others serve us and people in other countries create products we purchase. Sounds good in theory if you are the boss or independently wealthy but how do I sit at home and get paid?
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>>>Tom