Would you support enforcing US labor laws internationally?

Discussion in 'Political Opinions & Beliefs' started by Daggdag, Jul 14, 2018.

  1. Daggdag

    Daggdag Well-Known Member

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    The federal government has the legal authority to enforce US law on citizens and businesses operating outside the US, as long as the citizen retains his citizenship, and the business is still registered and based in the US.

    I have had idea for a long time to begin requiring US buisiness who operate overseas, such as GM, Apple, Nike, etc, to offer the same minimum wage, and manditory benefits as they do in the US. They would also be required to us US-Style work day and overtime times.

    This would make it more expensive for companies to own and operate factories in sweat-shop counties like China, Mexico, Taiwan, etc....

    It wouldn't stop companies from contracting foreign businesses to run factories for them, but we can take care of that by changing up free trade to require any nation with free trade with the US meet or exceed US labor standards.
     
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  2. Steady Pie

    Steady Pie Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    This would have the immediate consequrnce of either:

    1. These companies move to some other Western nation without these rules and continue as normal.

    2. These companies bring back operations to the domestic market and become premium brands. Cheap foreign brands take over their market share.


    Unless you want to ban importation of any goods that don't conform to US Labor standards, which would be catestrophic.

    For me, this is all a moot point anyway as I don't support price floors.

    You'd have more success forming a unitary/Federal world government and enforcing your will that way.
     
    Last edited: Jul 14, 2018
  3. Daggdag

    Daggdag Well-Known Member

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    Oh and we could also require US importers to have documentation proving that the products they import were not produced in a sweat shop. We already do this with diamonds, requring proof that it's not a blood diamond. It would be easy to do with everything else.
     
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  4. vman12

    vman12 Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    That's easy to get around.

    They simply contract a foreign company to provide labor.
     
  5. Daggdag

    Daggdag Well-Known Member

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    Which is why I also added a stipulation that the US would only have trade agreements with countries which meet or exceed out labor standards. China can't keep up their economy without free trade with the US. They need us. So, they would change their policies and those companies wouldn't get to use sweatshops anymore.
     
  6. vman12

    vman12 Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    So basically just Europe, Australia and Canada then.
     
  7. Steady Pie

    Steady Pie Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    This would skyrocket the cost of everything. Fair enough if that's okay by you, but it would not be by most people. Whoever implemented something like this would immediately end their political career.

    It would massively harm the third world. Presumably they work for Western firms because they pay the most compared to their other opportunities. If US companies have to pay US minimum wage they'll just move back to the US, and all of these sweatshop countries like Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, etc would collapse under the weight of complete economic armageddon.

    Would be good for US workers, until they realise that their $7.25/hr wage can't buy anything because everything at K-Mart is 5 times the price. The average wage in Bangladesh is $720/year, an American on minimum wage makes that in a fortnight.

    It would also devastate the US economy, which relies on foreign sweatshop nations like China spending the USD they get from exports on US bonds. The national debt is so high because of this mechanism. The treasury would either have to default or print trillions, crashing the dollar.

    In short, I think this is a terrible idea. Good intentions though.
     
  8. Steady Pie

    Steady Pie Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    Most of our **** (Australia) is produced in sweatshops. Not sure what you're talking about.
     
    Last edited: Jul 14, 2018
  9. vman12

    vman12 Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    And the advantage of not relying on foreign labor is what creates jobs.

    Losing jobs hurts 1st world nations far more than higher prices for goods.
     
  10. Steady Pie

    Steady Pie Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    Abolish the minimum wage. Best of both worlds.
     
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  11. vman12

    vman12 Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    We can't do that when we have millions of illegal aliens all over the country.

    Free market principles don't work when you have people willing to work for pennies on the dollar.
     
  12. Steady Pie

    Steady Pie Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    2.7% of workers are earning minimum wage. If in the absence of price floors wages would drop to pennies, it's odd that 97%+ of workers are currently earning above the minimum wage. You'd expect to see practically all low class workers on their state minimum wage.

    As far as illegals are concerned, this is only an issue because of the moral hazard created by welfare and entitlements. In the absence of such programs, if migrants want to come and earn their keep so be it. Good on them.
     
  13. vman12

    vman12 Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    You only have that outlook because you live in a country that pushes their boats back out to sea.

    You don't know what it's like.
     
  14. Steady Pie

    Steady Pie Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    We have a proud history of multiculturalism and legal immigration - most people I know are Italian, Macedonian, Indian, Mauritian, Chinese, Vietnamese, Argentinian, Indigenous, etc.

    But we are an island nation far from practically anywhere. There are no despotic regimes to flee from that lead you here as your first port of entry. Possibly Indonesian in Suharto years. Go to the nearest country that isn't imminently trying to kill or imprison you for your political beliefs.

    There are definitely shortcomings in our immigration policy, but the core - that we ought not tolerate illegal arrivals, is not radical at all.

    If you want to come to Australia, to adopt the culture with your own twist, and make a life for yourself, for sure, come immigrate. I'll even throw in 5 acres of land and a bore. Build whatever you like.

    The problem is the free ride. People should be free to live out their lives free of political assasstions and crime, and we should facilitate a system whereby people can homestead the land, but nobody, not even Australians (except those infirm or substantively disabled) should get handouts. I passed up $70,000 worth of "student allowance". Get some land and produce something. Live in health and safety.
     
    Last edited: Jul 14, 2018
  15. vman12

    vman12 Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    Oh I agree.

    Theres a big difference between a settler and someone looking for welfare, which is the what they really want.
     
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  16. Belch

    Belch Well-Known Member

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    I would be in favor of that when it comes to countries that are just boils on the anus of humanity, like south africa, north korea, saudi arabia, iran, cuba, venezuela, etc. etc. etc.
     
  17. Mac-7

    Mac-7 Banned

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    We should pass a law banning noint ventures in china

    All it does is enable china to catch up with US technology
     
  18. Seth Bullock

    Seth Bullock Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    There is some merit to that idea. I don't like the idea of buying a product knowing that it was made by some underpaid worker who has to work 6 days a week, 12 hours a day.

    I was in a store the other day, and I saw a black T-shirt displayed that showed a Ford Mustang burning out. Over the top of the picture it said, "Made In", and under the picture it said, "America". I looked at the tag inside the collar, and it said, "Made in Honduras".

    Oh, the irony!

    And I wondered about the workers who produced it. Yeah, really. I did.

    And it struck me as well that we don't even make our clothes in this country!
     
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  19. jay runner

    jay runner Banned

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    New law where "Made in the USA" or "Made in Country XYZ" has to be prominently visible on the product as it is displayed at retail, or online.

    And a huge barrage of public service announcements to buy Made in the USA.
     
  20. Belch

    Belch Well-Known Member

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    No, we do make clothes. It's just that there's no reason for many of us to do that. Lawyers don't dig ditches using shovels because they can make more money by practicing law than pushing a shovel.

    I mentioned in another thread that I recently came back from vacation, and I managed to buy a MIA hawaiian shirt that was made right there in hawaii. It only cost 20 bucks, and it's as fine a shirt as any chinese sweat shop has ever produced. There were other shirts that were made elsewhere, and some of them cost more. The sales broad pointed out that it was made in Hawaii, and that was enough to convince me to buy it.

    Although I will admit that it wasn't quite as loud as I would have liked, but my fellow Americans are hitting a price point that compete with the chinese.
     
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  21. Diuretic

    Diuretic Well-Known Member

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    I remember buying tee shirts, sweats etc on my very first visit to the US in 1984. Made in the USA labels (and I mean the mainland, not Guam). I still wear them. Top quality.
     
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  22. Margot2

    Margot2 Banned

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    Are you sure that's true? Or is this the qualifier?

    "as long as the citizen retains his citizenship, and the business is still registered and based in the US."
     
  23. Margot2

    Margot2 Banned

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    Have you ever been to any of those countries?
     
  24. kriman

    kriman Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    Can you imagine the disruption and corruption such an arrangement would cause. First of all you will have these employees essentially living like millionaires in their country. It would not be long before they would be farming out those jobs so that the person actually doing the work would essentially being paid the original wages and the person who originally got the job would be paid by the worker doing the job. If you think this cannot happen, it has happened. Such an arrangement breeds graft.
     
  25. 61falcon

    61falcon Well-Known Member

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    Using your idiotic logic then German firms operating in the USA can begin using their laws to govern their businesses here??And every other country that has factories and businesses here can do the same???A truly nutty idea and illegal under international law.
     
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