Preview

Cheap Labor Violations

Best Essays
Open Document
Open Document
2622 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Cheap Labor Violations
Cheap Labor & Violation of Workers Rights Continue to Exist

Abstract This paper explores the way in which sweatshops, cheap labor, and violation of workers rights continues to exist throughout the world. Providing inside information that the average individual might not know about the products they purchase and use everyday. This paper touches on what goes on in these sweatshops, which the most common workers are, and what countries are receiving the lowest wages for their work. Some of the most popular companies who have been recognized as abusers of labor laws are addressed, along with an update on how they’ve fared since being accused. As the paper draws to a close different solutions
…show more content…

Some workers may work anywhere from eighteen to twenty hour shifts consecutively under hazardous conditions, without breaks for food or water. They work extremely long hours in order to make a wage that isn’t sufficient enough to live on. “Workers work long hours in which they aren’t compensated for, under unsafe living conditions, and women are often sexually harassed”, there isn’t a single characteristic of a sweatshop that is safe or complies with labor laws and regulations. (Snyder, …show more content…

(2004). Sweatshops and third world living standards: Are the jobs worth the sweat?. Independent Institute , working paper number 53, 1-15. Retrieved from http://www.independent.org/pdf/working_papers/ 53_sweatshop.pdf

Snyder, J. (1991). Exploitation and sweatshop labor: Perspectives and issues. Business Ethics Quarterly, 20(2), 187-213.

Kristof, N. (2009, January 15). Where sweatshops are a dream. The New York Times, p. 35.

Ballinger, J. (2009). Finding an anti-sweatshop strategy that works. Dissent , 56(3), 5-8.

Smit, B. (2011). Trafficking in human beings for labour exploitation. the case of the Netherlands. Trends in Organized Crime , 14(2/3), 184-197.

Farrell, D., Paron , A., & Reemes, J. (2005). Beyond cheap labor: Lessons for developing economies. McKinsey Quarterly , 1(1), 98-109.

Powell, B. (2011). The end of cheap labor in china. Time , 177(26), 1-4.

Arnold, D., and N. Bowie. 2003. "Sweatshops and Respect for Persons," Business Ethics Quarterly 13(2): 221-42.

Arnold, D., and P. Hartman. 2003. "Moral Imagination and the Future of Sweatshops," Business and Society Review 108(4):


You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    What is a sweatshop? Well, a sweatshop is a work environment with long hours, low wages, and difficult or dangerous conditions. Why are they frowned upon? Ravisankar expresses and demonstrates the many reasons why sweatshops are unethical. His attempt to convince the audience, sweatshops are degrading human rights is successful because of his skillful word choice and confident tone. Ravisankar grasps the attention of many consumers by saying “Being the ‘poor’ college students that we all are, many of us undoubtedly place the emphasis on finding the lowest prices”(86). With this being said, he relates to most people as to why they look for the lowest prices, but soon after that he disagrees with it.…

    • 803 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    A sweatshop is a business facility where hard workers are victimised by long hours, low wages and poor working facilities. Sweatshops are most commonly found in countries where labour laws have not been imposed yet. Without these laws enforced workers can be paid as little as possible for as many hours as they’re requested to work, no health and safety for the employee, etc.…

    • 424 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Sweatshop labor is something we hear all too often but do you know what a sweatshop really is? A sweatshop is defined by the United States Department of Labor as company that breaks 2 or more federal laws. Sweatshops are inhumane, companies force people to work in unsafe, unsanitary, for low wages, and use children as well. Companies make millions each year off of sweatshop labor.…

    • 819 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    While furthering my research on Polo Ralph Lauren’s business decisions regarding sweatshops and their workers, I found an article written by Robert J.S. Ross, a professor in Sociology at Clark University. The article entitled, “Hey, Ralph Lauren, sweatshops aren’t chic,” was featured in the Los Angeles Times and employs an appeal to pathos by disclosing the reprehensible working conditions that sweatshop workers endure everyday in factories throughout China to provide products for Polo Ralph Lauren. While discussing these working conditions he states, “unofficially, they are often paid less than the official minimum, which varies by province and city. Days off are rare, despite laws that entitle them to one day off a week” (Ross). Ross essentially…

    • 366 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    What do we think of when we hear the word sweatshop? Many people associate that word with female immigrant workers, who receive very minimal pay. The work area is very dangerous to your health and is an extremely unsanitary work place. The work area is usually overcrowded. That is the general stereotype, in my eyes of a sweatshop. All if not more of these conditions were present in the Triangle Shirtwaist Company. This company was located in New York City at 23-29 Washington Place, in which 146 employees mainly women and girls lost their lives to a disastrous fire. "A superficial examination revealed that conditions in factories and manufacturing establishments that developed a daily menace to the lives of the thousands of working men, women, and children" (McClymer 29). Lack of precautions to prevent fire, inadequate fire-escape facilities, unsanitary conditions were undermining the health of the workers.…

    • 862 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    In Walter Williams’ essay, “Sweatshop Exploitation” he discussed that the people behind the sweatshop did not care for their employees because of the terrible pay, terrible working conditions and long working hours. To add to that, he discussed that most people prefer the factory job compared to the alternative which involves working in the sun making less money. The factory owners know this and in their own way saves them by giving them a “better” working condition and “better” pay than what they are normally used to being paid. The people running these sweatshops by stating we value life enough to give you something better than the alternative.…

    • 108 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Better Essays

    Triangle Fire 1911

    • 2546 Words
    • 11 Pages

    Sweatshops were originally set up to produce a large quantity of mostly clothing items, with cheap labor wages for its workers. Sweatshops more often than not were cramped buildings with few windows or fans. The people who worked in these sweat shops rarely received breaks, and would on average 10-12 hours a day, seven days a week. The places were so unsanitary many did not have proper plumbing facilities to accommodate all those who worked there, and no way of cleaning or bandaging a cut or wound if injured on the job. Although these were the common standards of sweatshops the Asch Building, where the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory was located was a very large building, with nine floors. This building was large but cramped due to all the workers, material and machines. Every inch of viable space was used to put either a machine, material or another worker.…

    • 2546 Words
    • 11 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Labor Practices PHL 320

    • 757 Words
    • 3 Pages

    A “sweatshop” is defined by the United States Department of Labor as a factory that violates two or more labor laws. The use of questionable labor practices, popularly knows as “sweatshop labor”, is widespread in the production of consumer goods (Paharia, 2013). Major international brands such as Nike and Apple are some of the high-profile companies that have been exposed to such labor abuses.…

    • 757 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Sweatshops Research Paper

    • 1581 Words
    • 7 Pages

    For example, “...New York’s Silicon Alley is known for long working hours, cramped loft workspaces, easily tripped over power cords and non-ergonomic (not safe) keyboards, along with wages that, while “decent are stratospheric” (Olson). The point that this is trying to get across is that people who are forced to work in sweatshops are not only dealing with the nonstop working hours but also with cramped spaces and wages that make the average Mcdonald’s worker’s salary seem incredulously high. Because sweatshop workers are dealing with the extremely low wages, it not only brings the economic situation in third world countries to light, but it also illuminates the fact that American companies are paying their sweatshop employees an amount that is far too low. Yes, it is true- people spend money every day, but the majority of the things they spend money on come from sweatshops. If Americans want to keep people across the globe safe- they need to stop buying sweatshops made products. For instance, “In 1999, authorities raided Auckland (the largest city in New Zealand) sewing shop who's The owner was found to be overworking and mistreating eight of her compatriots…” (Olson). It is important to note that there are many sweatshop owners who typically overwork and abuse their employees. This is obviously not physically or emotionally helpful or healthy. They abuse and hurt their employees partly because they want their employees to be…

    • 1581 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Meyers, C. (2004). Wrongful Beneficence: Exploitation and Third World Sweatshops. Journal of Social Philosophy, 35(3), 319-333.…

    • 2008 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    In the text Where Sweatshops are a Dream it says that a mother wishes her some could work in a factory because it is less dangerous that getting ran over, but working in a sweatshop is more dangerous. The factories aren't clean, some of them have open wires, you can't go to the bathroom that often, since you have to work a lot you can get a lot of sleep so that can affect your health, some don't give you the correct equipment to have to work there, and the stuff that is i the air may not get circulated or clean so that can affect your lungs and health. In the video How Can Sweatshops Help The Poor Escape Poverty it says that it is free of bodily harm but it really isn't. Some factories ahs lots of wires sticking out and they have bad air circulation so it does harm your…

    • 466 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    There is no denying that sweatshops are disgusting, unsafe places to work, complete with even more unfair pay and essentially zero labor laws. However, sweatshops provide a much better working environment than most other jobs available in these poor countries. Working long hours, sewing and making other consumer goods, is much more safe and sanitary than working the corner as a prostitute. Those against sweatshops are very concerned with the safety and health of these workers. I highly doubt that prostitutes use condoms with every, if any, of their clients; and anyone that has ever been to health class knows how dangerous sexually transmitted diseases can be. Kristof mentions in his article, that although they are not the best of jobs, a factory is much better than looking for trash in a dump. Factories provide a much more stable income than hoping to find a pound of plastic that can be traded for five cents.…

    • 540 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Sweatshops or sweat factories are a work place where people work in similar conditions to those of the farmers. They typically receive low pay for hard labor they work in unbearable conditions and some even have child labor even though there are laws forbidding it. Thanks to sweatshops we get cheaper goods typically clothes but on the other side of the world there may be a child or person who only got paid five cents for making a shoe you paid sixty dollars for. In an encyclopedia it stated, “Brands such as Nike use sweatshops to lower the cost of their products.”(Hickel 3). This shows that even big name brands such as Nike are using sweatshops to lower the cost of clothing, shoes and other merchandise. They pay the workers less incredibly low wages to work for long periods of time reducing expenses but increasing productivity. The poor once again are not being treated with the same rights that somebody in the middle class would get. They are hardworking people just like the farmers but are not getting paid anywhere near what they be earning and that poverty cycle once again will keep going from generation to generation. It states on a reliable website, “A study showed that doubling the salary of sweatshop workers would only increase the consumer cost of an item by 1.8%, while consumers would be willing to pay 15% more to know a product did not come from a sweatshop.”(Hickel 2). This explains that it wouldn’t hurt many people to…

    • 1102 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The term, “Sweatshop,” is used so much, yet not very people know the actual meaning of it. Dosomething.org, states that the U.S government laws to determine something as a sweatshop it must be a factory that violates 2 or more laws. Now, if you think about just two laws, it makes the list huge. Dosomething.org also states the condidtions of sweatshops are either extreemly hot or cold, depending on location, low wages, or no wages, and most importantly, child labor. Think about things you may have produced in this fashion, prime examples include, bags, shoes, clothing, small electronics, and other day to day things that nobody would expect. Dosomthing.org speculates that Africa, China, and the Middle East, have the highest percentages of sweatshops in the world. What does anyone do about this you may ask, the answer…

    • 486 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    In his New York Times essay, “where Sweatshops are a Dream,” writer Nicholas Kristof described the horrible living conditions of the people in Phnom Penh. Nicholas writes that the Phnom people believe that having a factory job is a way out of poverty and not as dangerous as scavenging on the street. He goes on to add that Democrats and the Americans are supporting Mr. Obama in the war against dangerous and cruel conditions in sweatshops. Nicholas implies that he knows that sweatshops will help the poor community because the sweatshop has improved the living standards of his wife village. His goal is to gain credibility by convincing his audience that the labor standards, the “living wages”, and the global economics of the sweatshops are offered to the poorer countries. Kristof intends to show credibility by appealing to both emotion and logic.…

    • 747 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays