I also worry that as currently articulated the RLS standards are too mushy to provide consumers with much credible information. This puts too much pressure on the legitimacy of the monitor and the monitor's monitor. But these monitors might themselves be captured by political as well as industrial interests. My friendly amendment is that RLS should strive to monetize labor practices. A consumer poised to buy a Timberland shoe might be willing to buy a more expensive brand upon learning that the employees had only been paid 22 cents per hour.
Money is the quintessential metric of value.
Of course, it would be necessary to monetize other aspects of an employer's labor practices. Employers who provide health care should be able to monetize these labor costs as well as the nominal wage. Some labor practices, however, are resistant to the monetization approach. But it is probably better to leave the metric slightly underinclusive but more transparent for the harried consumer. Disclosing the average hourly labor costs of products still gives consumers a highly probative summary statistic of how well labor is treated.