dispatches from the new world of work

Gotta Read It II

Speaking of world trade and competitiveness, and if you are not depressed enough by the news and images from Baghdad, try the December 2006 issue of Bloomberg Markets. (I command you to do so. Whoops, I am powerless.) The cover story, a variant on the life of a T-shirt is: "The Secret World of Modern Slavery: Steel used to build cars and appliances in the U.S. starts with forced labor in Brazil." The piece will turn your stomach—and, remember, Bloomberg Markets is not exactly home to left wing extremism.

When you get back from gagging in the bathroom, or if you survive shooting yourself, dive into a Bloomberg companion piece, "How Test Companies Fail Your Kids: The $2.8 billion industry hires $10-an-hour graders for exams that control U.S. schools." I'm far too old to lightly use a word like "unbelievable." But this stuff is ... unbelievable. Try "layed off" janitors who majored in "Phylosophy/Humanity" grading essays that determine our kids' life success and our teachers' employment prospects. This article would be hilarious were it not of such surpassing importance. Again, I underscore that this comes from Bloomberg, not the PR arm of our national teachers union.

Tom Peters posted this on 12/04/06.

Comments

"The Secret World of Modern Slavery: Steel used to build cars and appliances in the U.S. starts with forced labor in Brazil." ... after reading that Tom I rest my case ... $43 million for a house is definitely obscene :-)

Posted by Trevor Gay at December 4, 2006 5:23 PM

Thank you for this link - I would not otherwise have seen this article, disturbing and difficult as it is to read. For all the many benefits of globalization - efficiencies, lower priced goods and services, building more stable economies abroad (and, let's hope, democracies) -we sometimes make a devil's bargain, turning our heads away from the downsides: slave labor, child labor, environmental harm, etc. (Without turning Dobbsian demagogue,I don't think we have done a great job at considering that, for all the macro benefits to the US economy, there are a lot of micro level dislocations to individuals and families.)

Posted by Maureen Rogers at December 4, 2006 10:04 PM

Tom,

The article on slavery is indeed painful to read.
Best reason I know for:
1. Strong enforcement of labor laws including minimum wage
and work safety laws.
2. Better macroeconomic policies.
3. Giving the Nobel Peace Prize to Muhammad Yunus and the
Grameen Bank for raising people out of poverty so they wonâ€™t be
recruited into slavery.

John

Posted by ShakespearesFool at December 5, 2006 1:13 AM

Maybe I was linked to a different article (the headline said Update 2), but the one I read also pointed out the efforts undertaken by the Brazilian gov't to stop the practice; the steps taken by Ford, GM, and Toyota to stop buying from brokers who could be traced to these practices; and the history of the use of slave labor in the charcoal camps of Brazil. I was not depressed by the article, but while dismayed by the practice of slavery, I was heartened by the fact that it was brought to light and the first steps undertaken to halt it. You should have been a little more balanced in your post and not so sensational.

Is anyone ignorant of the fact that slavery still exists all over the world? Have you not read or heard about the Ukranian women forced into prostitution in Europe by unscrupulous types who tell them they will take them to a better life in the west? Or how about Chinese women and children who are still routinely sold by their impoverished parents and relatives? Slavery still exists on every continent and we should all be aware of it and our role in perpetuating or preventing it.

Posted by Mike at December 5, 2006 11:04 AM