US reviews Thailand's trade benefits after labor complaint

[webfact]

U.S. reviews Thailand's trade benefits after labor complaint
reporting by Krista Hughes

WASHINGTON: -- The United States will review Thailand's eligibility for trade benefits after complaints the country is not properly protecting workers' rights, the U.S. Trade Representative said on Wednesday.

U.S. umbrella union group AFL-CIO said Thailand had breached standards under the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP), which allows duty-free access for some imports, on a range of issues including acceptable conditions of work and forced labor.

Full story: http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/11/25/us-usa-trade-thailand-idUSKBN0TE2SM20151125


-- Reuters 2015-11-26

[Usernames]

I think a message is being sent. One that can't be avoided. Doubt if China can make up even a fraction of the losses that will incur should this review go against Thailand.

[ThaiRickey]

And this from a nation in which exactly HALF (and increasing, monthly, it seems) of the states extol "Right-to-Work" laws busting unions and engaging races to the bottom of the pay rates and ever worsening working conditions -- hypocritical, at best, these Yankee Ferengis, I say...

25 States Are Now Right-to-Work States

Edited November 26, 2015 by ThaiRickey

[shirtless]

Thailand better start sorting this out or America may draw a redline. and boycott these products You can bet pounds to peanuts that Thailand has this situation under control and will soon come out with a positive statement , maybe from the big guy himself. then back to business until the problem surfaces on the international stage again , Thailand is the hub of kicking the can down the road.

[somo]

The PM has a track record of solving such problems within days of them appearing.

I know this because he says so. This will be no different and we can expect an announcement saying "problem solved" within the next week for sure if it hasn't just disappeared on it's own by then.

[from the home of CC]

Build Macau 2 on one of the islands off Phuket, foreign passport only and if done right could make up for some this shortfall. Be real glad when Obama is in the rear view.

[jcsmith]

And this from a nation in which exactly HALF (and increasing, monthly, it seems) of the states extol "Right-to-Work" laws busting unions and engaging races to the bottom of the pay rates and ever worsening working conditions -- hypocritical, at best, these Yankee Ferengis, I say...

25 States Are Now Right-to-Work States

Please. If you think the working conditions or the quality of living in America is in any way comparable to Thailand then you are delusional.

[NCC1701A]

Team America World Police. American labor unions? I am going to Pattaya and boom boom all night and then jump from the highest condo.

Don't forget to call 911.

[ThaiRickey]

And this from a nation in which exactly HALF (and increasing, monthly, it seems) of the states extol "Right-to-Work" laws busting unions and engaging races to the bottom of the pay rates and ever worsening working conditions -- hypocritical, at best, these Yankee Ferengis, I say...

25 States Are Now Right-to-Work States

Please. If you think the working conditions or the quality of living in America is in any way comparable to Thailand then you are delusional.

So, how do you think USA labor working conditions ever improved over the past 150 years? Corporate generosity? Fat Cat kindness...I think not, pal...it was labor all the way to the 40 hour work-week and child-labor laws...educate yourself! Read some history while soppin' up @ Happy Hour for once.

[craigt3365]

And this from a nation in which exactly HALF (and increasing, monthly, it seems) of the states extol "Right-to-Work" laws busting unions and engaging races to the bottom of the pay rates and ever worsening working conditions -- hypocritical, at best, these Yankee Ferengis, I say...

25 States Are Now Right-to-Work States

It cuts both ways. Unions have done some fantastic things for the lives of many working individuals. But have also driven costs up, which made the US noncompetitive. And thus work moved off shore. Where labor is cheaper and unions non-existent.

I use to do trade shows in the US. I hated the east coast. Unions were terrible to deal with. Want an extra outlet? Ok, wait in line till a union approved electrician comes over to plug an extension cord in...and charge you $200 for doing it. Try it on your own and they'll punch a hole in your booth. I saw this happen.

Not an easy solution to this. But it's well known Thailand doesn't have a great record with regards to workers rights or working conditions. I believe the EU is going after them right now for chicken processing plants.

[ThaiRickey]

And this from a nation in which exactly HALF (and increasing, monthly, it seems) of the states extol "Right-to-Work" laws busting unions and engaging races to the bottom of the pay rates and ever worsening working conditions -- hypocritical, at best, these Yankee Ferengis, I say...

25 States Are Now Right-to-Work States

It cuts both ways. Unions have done some fantastic things for the lives of many working individuals. But have also driven costs up, which made the US noncompetitive. And thus work moved off shore. Where labor is cheaper and unions non-existent.

I use to do trade shows in the US. I hated the east coast. Unions were terrible to deal with. Want an extra outlet? Ok, wait in line till a union approved electrician comes over to plug an extension cord in...and charge you $200 for doing it. Try it on your own and they'll punch a hole in your booth. I saw this happen.

Not an easy solution to this. But it's well known Thailand doesn't have a great record with regards to workers rights or working conditions. I believe the EU is going after them right now for chicken processing plants.

Fair enough, Craig...the issue is quite complex. Of course every nation needs to improve its own welfare, but in the way indigenous to its cultural norms... as others have alluded, already, it is not the job for the USA to expect Thailand to improve in a day when it took the USA centuries of its own suffering to get where it is retreating from, now...IMHO, that is. ThanQ for your consideration, Craig.

[slapout]

In response to post no. 9 by master rickey. I have read the history of US labor and participated in it for over 1/3 of the 150 years you mention. you might want to review the theory that it was labor that was /is responsible for its present position and the right to work, federal law, states, laws etc.

Labor is another part of what some call the US capitalism system and seems to revolve around, '' Supply and demand"

Edited November 26, 2015 by slapout

[ThaiRickey]

In response to post no. 9 by master rickey. I have read the history of US labor and participated in it for over 1/3 of the 150 years you mention. you might want to review the theory that it was labor that was /is responsible for its present position and the right to work, federal law, states, laws etc.

Labor is another part of what some call the US capitalism system and seems to revolve around, '' Supply and demand"

I'm not here to engage in a p!ssing match w/you, sideslap...I carried a union card my whole career, as well; my father engaged the struggle in his terms coming home from WWII, and my uncles remember those days when they shot people in the mines for unionizing...so what?

My point was not to best you all in economic theory (which, if it weren't so off topic, I would), but in the reality in which common working-class citizens improved their working conditions across whatever prevailing economic system was happening to enslave them at a given point in history.

BTW -- in the event that you actually care and are not just trolling, sideslap -- I appoach my theory from the standpoint of anarcho-syndicalism, if you care at all: I believe we can develop social systems that work w/o kissing up & kicking down, quite simple.

[GiantFan]

Quid pro quo. US tariffs on Thai goods, single digit percent. Going the other way, 20 - 40 percent.

Why not equal?

[NeverSure]

If US consumers truly understood the conditions that people work under in the fishing industry in Thailand they would stop buying Chicken Of The Sea and Bumblebee Tuna yesterday.

The US is the largest buyer of Thai exports and it lets those exports in duty free. Does Thailand reciprocate and let things from the US in duty free? Of course not. So what kind of an "agreement" is that?

The US should immediately place a 30% tariff on all Thai imports and ban Thai seafood. Then perhaps "talk" would turn into action. Otherwise all I see is promises which are broken time and again.

Where is the US consumer in this? Why isn't this big news in the US?

Cheers.

PS The US has 88,000 miles of saltwater shoreline and doesn't need Thai fish products. The varieties that are found in Alaska and Hawaii are different from California, the Pacific NW or the NE giving the US all of the variety it could want.

As always this is about cheaper labor and cheaper products but I'm positive the US consumer doesn't want it cheaper by Thai means.

Cheers.

[Jumper]

And this from a nation in which exactly HALF (and increasing, monthly, it seems) of the states extol "Right-to-Work" laws busting unions and engaging races to the bottom of the pay rates and ever worsening working conditions -- hypocritical, at best, these Yankee Ferengis, I say...

25 States Are Now Right-to-Work States

Understand that I come from an obviously biased US management perspective having been involved in management of US manufacturing companies for 30 or so years (now retired).

Also understand that unionization votes in the US come in two steps:

Step 1: A vote to allow a particular union to represent a company's workers.

Step 2: A vote to automatically withhold union dues from workers' wages.

Relative to step 1, we always said that any company that looses this vote deserves to do so. Unionization (and union rules) often hampers a company's ability to operate efficiently, and workers are not dumb. They understand that their jobs depend on the company's viability in the market place and the company they work for being able to efficiently operate in a competitive environment.

In my experience we never lost a vote in step 1 because we were always fair with our staff, and we communicated with them regularly and openly. I honestly believe this is the general experience in US companies.

However, unions can be quite aggressive in campaigning and calling for a vote (for their own reasons) in step 1. To me the telling truth about US labor unions' motivation is what they do when they loose the vote in step 2 (automatically withholding union dues from workers' wages) having won the vote in step 1.

I think this is a history you need to investigate.

Edited November 26, 2015 by Jumper

[oneday]

And this from a nation in which exactly HALF (and increasing, monthly, it seems) of the states extol "Right-to-Work" laws busting unions and engaging races to the bottom of the pay rates and ever worsening working conditions -- hypocritical, at best, these Yankee Ferengis, I say...

25 States Are Now Right-to-Work States

Please. If you think the working conditions or the quality of living in America is in any way comparable to Thailand then you are delusional.

He has zero idea what he is talking about. The "right-to-work" simply allows employees the choice of whether or not they join a union. It is not union busting, but it does knock their arrogance down a peg or two. I for one think it is a good law. The other stuff he spouts is garbage. I'll take living and working conditions in the US any day over a country like Thailand.

[jerojero]

And this from a nation in which exactly HALF (and increasing, monthly, it seems) of the states extol "Right-to-Work" laws busting unions and engaging races to the bottom of the pay rates and ever worsening working conditions -- hypocritical, at best, these Yankee Ferengis, I say...

25 States Are Now Right-to-Work States

It cuts both ways. Unions have done some fantastic things for the lives of many working individuals. But have also driven costs up, which made the US noncompetitive. And thus work moved off shore. Where labor is cheaper and unions non-existent.

I use to do trade shows in the US. I hated the east coast. Unions were terrible to deal with. Want an extra outlet? Ok, wait in line till a union approved electrician comes over to plug an extension cord in...and charge you $200 for doing it. Try it on your own and they'll punch a hole in your booth. I saw this happen.

Not an easy solution to this. But it's well known Thailand doesn't have a great record with regards to workers rights or working conditions. I believe the EU is going after them right now for chicken processing plants.

And one of Thailand's largest chicken plants is owned by none other than Cargill, one of the world's largest agribusiness and food processors.... 100 billion dollars in sales annually, US privately owned conglomerate.

[Caitrin]

One Day, false. "Right to work" is nothing of the sort. It's more like the "right to fire."

What One Day is not explaining, and this is relevant to the topic if we're speaking about why unions have the numbers in the U.S. to generate reviews like this one about Thailand, is that courts have ruled in the United States that if a shop is a union shop, all employees, union members or not, must be represented by the union if the employee and the management go into dispute. Going into dispute is really expensive, especially if there have to be strikes, or public communication written and printed, attorneys retained, etc. Unions responded by asking for state laws protecting their right to demand that if they were required to represent non-members, that these non-members either choose to become members or to provide a portion of dues to the union in case those non-members go into dispute. So called "right to work" states remove the laws that allow unions to do this. This can be crippling to a union, especially a small one.

Disclosure, I am union member and president of my local, and have been active in both American and Japanese labor movements.

[craigt3365]

And this from a nation in which exactly HALF (and increasing, monthly, it seems) of the states extol "Right-to-Work" laws busting unions and engaging races to the bottom of the pay rates and ever worsening working conditions -- hypocritical, at best, these Yankee Ferengis, I say...

25 States Are Now Right-to-Work States

It cuts both ways. Unions have done some fantastic things for the lives of many working individuals. But have also driven costs up, which made the US noncompetitive. And thus work moved off shore. Where labor is cheaper and unions non-existent.

I use to do trade shows in the US. I hated the east coast. Unions were terrible to deal with. Want an extra outlet? Ok, wait in line till a union approved electrician comes over to plug an extension cord in...and charge you $200 for doing it. Try it on your own and they'll punch a hole in your booth. I saw this happen.

Not an easy solution to this. But it's well known Thailand doesn't have a great record with regards to workers rights or working conditions. I believe the EU is going after them right now for chicken processing plants.

And one of Thailand's largest chicken plants is owned by none other than Cargill, one of the world's largest agribusiness and food processors.... 100 billion dollars in sales annually, US privately owned conglomerate.

Great! Cargill is a great company. Largest privately owned company in the US.

[h90]

Maybe review some of the military ties, maybe hold a Cobra Red Star exercise and all will be nice and friendly again.

[Krataiboy]

Whether deliberately or not, Thailand's current administration is alienating the United States, which has been its longest ally. For all sorts of reasons, It may be expedient for the generals to curry favour with China, whose notorious indifference to democratic freedoms and human rights is closer to their own.

But would the 60 million Thai people whose interests the non-elected military junta purports to represent really be better off under the "protection" of the Communist Chinese rather than the world's most powerful democracy?

An independent poll to test the water might be good idea, before relations with Uncle Sam deteriorate beyond recall.

[Strangebrew]

Being a retired Teamster living in Thailand on a pension more than most Thai's could ever dream of and better than most exec's could hope for unions are what made America great but also drove up cost's of goods two edged sword but still afforded me the ability to send 3 daughters thru college buy my home and vacation cabin. Not to mention Put money into my saving account. :-)