Last month, a group of nine manufacturers and human rights organizations reached an agreement to curtail the sweatshop trade. The companies, including Nike, Reebok, and Liz Claiborne, aren't notably inspired by papal principles. Under the new agreement, factories that produce goods for American companies could not use forced labor or require employees to work more than 60 hours a week. The pact also forbids hiring children under 14 years old. With that in mind, labor unions have rejected the agreement.
Unions also say the monitoring system proposed under the agreement is flawed.
Senser, who worked for the AFL-CIO's Asia policy arm after retiring from the Foreign Service in 1983, finds himself agreeing both with supporters and critics who say the code of conduct doesn't go far enough. For example, Wal-Mart might only work with factories that use no child labor. But those factories might secretly contract out to others that make the product more cheaply - with child labor. But it takes more concerted commitment and energy than it's been given until now. Senser urges trade unions, including the Union of Needletrades, Industrial and Textile Employees, to hang tough and bargain for a stronger agreement limiting sweatshop labor.