Nike 海外剥削以及血汗工厂的探讨.docx

Nike 海外剥削以及血汗工厂的探讨.docx

《Nike 海外剥削以及血汗工厂的探讨.docx》由会员分享，可在线阅读，更多相关《Nike 海外剥削以及血汗工厂的探讨.docx（12页珍藏版）》请在冰豆网上搜索。

Nike海外剥削以及血汗工厂的探讨

Nike’sOverseaExploitation

AndEthicDiscussion

EthicandLawPaper

Dr.SueMota

November15,2011

LinhuiLiu

Introduction

Withthedevelopmentofglobaleconomy,industriesandserviceswerehighlydiversifiedinlastcentury.BecausemoreandmorecompanieswereestablishedaftertheIndustrialRevolution,moreemployeeswereneededandtherelationshipbetweenemployeesandemployerswaschangedfrompersonal-relationshiptocontractualrelationship.Intheproductionprocess,employerspursuethemaximumprofitwhichiscausedbysellingmoreproductionandcuttingtheaveragecost.However,employeesseekmaximumpayment,safeworkingenvironment,appropriatepressure,andgoodwelfaresystemtoprotecttheirrightsinthefuture.Thisdifferenceofgoalsbetweentwopartiesarousesthecontradictionbetweenthetwoparties;andthechangetotheirrelationshipsharpenedit.Becauseofthis,exploitationappeared.Exploitationisthatcertainpersonsarebeingmistreatedorunfairlyusedforthebenefitofothers（Arneson1992,p350）,andexistsinmanyfields.Inthispaper,Ifocusontheeconomicexploitationwhichcanbeconcludedastheactofusinganotherperson'slaborwithoutofferingthemanadequatecompensation.

Onemployers’aspect,theywanttopaytheleastsalariesandtoprovidethecheapestdietandtheshabbiestplanttotheiremployees,becausetheycanreducetheirexpensesinthisway.Thisisalsowhatemployersalwaysdo.Theyhavethesignificantamountofresourcestocontrolemployeesbyprovidingjobs.Inresult,regulationsandlegislationswereestablishedtoprotecttheweakbythefederalgovernment.

Inthispaper,IwillfocusonthelawissuesintheU.S.aboutprotectingemployees’rights,andintroducetheFairLaborStandardsAct（FLSA）,theOccupationalSafetyandHealthAct（OSHA）,andtheEmploymentRetirementIncomeSecurityAct（ERISA）.ThefactofexploitationbytheNikeCompanywhichistheleadofthesportsproductsindustrywillbepresentedasanexampletoextendethicdiscussionbasedonthefederallaw.Moreover,IwillalsofocusontheInternationallawstoprotectoversealaborersthatareincompaniesofU.S.Today’slabormarketisbroaderthanitwasinpast1or2decades.Domesticlawissuesmustbecertaintoprotectallemployeeswhichincludestheyarefromothercountries.BasedonNike’sexploitationinAsia,IwillillustratetheimportanceoftheInternationalprotection,whatthegovernmentdidtoprotectoverseaemployees,andwhatothercompaniescanlearnfromthisexperience.

FederalLawstoProtectEmployees’Rights

Inthepast50years,thefederalgovernmentpassedtheseriesoflegislationsaffectingemployeerights.TheyareWorker’sCompensationLaws,SocialSecurityAct,FairLaborStandardsAct（FLSA）,EqualPayAct,OccupationalSafetyandHealthAct（OSHA）,EmploymentRetirementIncomeSecurityAct（ERISA）,andFamilyandMedicalLeaveAct（Jennings,2006,p742）.Inthispaper,IwillpaymoreattentiontotheFLSA,OSHA,andERISAandbrieflyintroducetheotherlawsandacts.

TheFairLaborStandardsAct（FLSA）isalwayscalledthe“WagesandHoursBill”.Inanotherwords,itestablishesaminimumwage,andalsoinvolveslawstoregulatechildlabor,overtimepayrequirements,andequalpayprovisions（Jennings,2006,p742）.

AccordingtoTheFairLaborStandardsActof1938,asamended（2011）,

（a）TheCongressfindsthattheexistence,inindustriesengagedincommerceorintheproductionofgoodsforcommerce,oflaborconditionsdetrimentaltothemaintenanceoftheminimumstandardoflivingnecessaryforhealth,efficiency,andgeneralwell-beingofworkers

（b）Itisdeclaredtobethepolicyofthischapter,throughtheexercisebyCongressofitspowertoregulatecommerceamongtheseveralStatesandwithforeignnations,tocorrectandasrapidlyaspracticabletoeliminatetheconditionsabovereferredtoinsuchindustrieswithoutsubstantiallycurtailingemploymentorearningpower.

ItillustratesthattheCongresshasthepowerandenforcementtoregulatecompaniesandinstitutionstogivetheiremployees’basicrightswhichareincludedintheFLSA.TheCongressalsoestablishestheminimumwage;anditisraisednotperiodically,dependingonthedevelopmentofeconomic.

AllemployeesinbusinessesthataffectinterstatecommercearecoveredbytheFLSAmustbepaidaminimumwage.However,therearesomeexemptions:

ØIndependentcontractors

ØAgriculture,fishing,anddomesticservice

ØWhite-collarmanagement

ØExecutive,administrative,andprofessionalpeople

BasedonexpressionsofJennings（2006）,independentcontractorsarethosewhoworkonajobbasis,workirregularhours,andarenotsupervisedbytheemployer.Forexample,sometypistshiredandpaidonaper-jobbasis（perpaperorperhundredwords）areindependentcontractors.Theso-called“white-collar”employeesareconsideredwithsufficienttraining,knowledge,andexperiencetocountertheiremployerunfairness（p758）.

TheFLSAalsoincludesregulationstoprotectcoveredemployees’workinghours.Itregulatesthattheworkinghoursforacoveredemployeeare40hoursperweek.Italsoregulatesthewageforthehourworkedabove40hoursperweekis1.5timesoftheregularwage.Althoughthepayperiodforcoveredemployeesisdifferentfromeachcompany,overtimeiscalculatedonthebasisof40hoursperweek.

IfacompanyorinstitutionviolatestheFLSA,thecorporationisliableandofficersofthecorporationcanbeheldindividuallyliableforthecorporation’sviolations.Thefinesofviolationareamaximum$10,000forthefirsttime;and$10,000fineandorsix-monthimprisonmentforthesecondtime.Employeescannotbefiredforreportingviolations.（Jennings,2006,p744）

AsanamendmenttotheFLSA,theEqualPayActof1963“makesitillegaltopaydifferentwagesbasedongendertomenandwomenwhoaredoingsubstantiallythesamework”（Jennings,2006,p745）.Thisactprotectswomenfrombeingdiscriminatedinworkplaces.

Tokeepworkersworkinginasafeworkplace,theOccupationalSafetyandHealthAct（OSHA）waspassedbyCongressin1970.ItprotectsthoroughlyeveryemployeewhoseemployerhasoneormoreemployeesintheU.S.Therewerethreeagenciesestablishedtoenforcetheworkersafetystandards:

theOccupationalSafetyandHealthAdministration（OSHA）,theOccupationalSafetyandHealthReviewCommission（OSHRC）,andtheNationalInstituteforOccupationalSafetyandHealth（NIOSH）.TheOSHAisapartoftheDepartmentofLabor,anditisresponsibletoimprovesafetystandardsandenforcethembyinspections,citations,andcourtactions.BothOSHAandOSHRCpaymoreattentiontothecommonissuesofequipmentuseandprotectivegear.NIOSHusuallyfocusesonworkplacesafetyissues（Jennings,2006,p745）.

ThedutiesandresponsibilitiesofOHSAare:

ØPostemployeerightsandpromulgateworkplacesafetyregulations

ØRequireprotectivegear

ØKeeprecordsofinjuries

ØReportfatalitiesandhazardsmaycauseemployeesinjury

ØPostOSHAcitations

ØInspections

Forexample,underthewebsiteofOHSA（2011）,theemployees’rightsarepresented:

Workers'rightsundertheOSHAct

Workersareentitledtoworkingconditionsthatdonotposeariskofseriousharm.Tohelpassureasafeandhealthfulworkplace,OSHAalsoprovidesworkerswiththerightto:

∙AskOSHAtoinspecttheirworkplace;

∙Usetheirrightsunderthelawwithoutretaliationanddiscrimination;

∙Receiveinformationandtrainingabouthazards,methodstopreventharm,andtheOSHAstandardsthatapplytotheirworkplace.Thetrainingmustbeinalanguageyoucanunderstand;

∙Getcopiesoftestresultsdonetofindhazardsintheworkplace;

∙Reviewrecordsofwork-relatedinjuriesandillnesses;

∙Getcopiesoftheirmedicalrecords;

AccordingtothewebsiteofOHSA’sstatistics（2011）,the“establishedinjuryandillnessdata”and“theworkplaceinjury,illnessandfatalitiesstatistics”foreverystateintheU.S.canalsobefound.Forexamplethefollowingtableisthedataofthehighestincidenceratesoftotalnonfataloccupationalinjuryandillnesscases,2010:

Theincidentratefordifferentindustrycanbefiguredouteasily.

OSHAinspectionsareefficienttoolstoenforce.“Inspectorscanentertheworkplace‘withoutdelayandatareasonabletime’toinspect”（Jennings,2006,p747）.Thefollowingaspectsaretheprioritiesoninspections:

ØHazardsorconditionsthatcouldcausedeath

ØEmployeecomplaints

ØInvestigationsoffatalaccidentsites

ØParticularlyhazardousindustries

ØRandominspectionsincorporatinganemphasisoncertaintypesofindustries（roofing,lumbering,meatpacking,transportation[car,truck]manufacturing,andlongshoring）（Jennings,2006,p747）

ThepenaltiesforvarioustypesofOSHAviolationsaredifferent,itisillustratedindetailbyJennings（2006,p747）.ThesummaryofOSHApenaltiesisasfollows:

Typeofoffense

Description

Penalty

Willful

Employerawareofdangerorarepeatviolator

Upto$70,000（notlessthan$5,000）and/orsixmonthsimprisonment$7,000

Serious

Violationisathreattolifeorcouldcauseseriousinjury

$7,000

Nonserious

Nothreatofseriousinjury

Upto$7,000

Deminimis

Failuretopostrights

Upto$7,000perviolation

Failuretocorrect

Citationnotfollowed

$7,000perday

EmployeeimpairmentandtestingissueisanothercomponentoftheOccupationalSafetyandHealthAct.Thisissueisconcernedofthesafetyproblemcausedbyimpairedcoworkersintheworkplace.However,itisnotthemainaspectwhatwillbediscussedinthispaper.

Anotherproblemofworkersishowtheycangetmoneywhentheyretire.BasedontheFederalInsur