Proposed ôSweat Shopö bill would impact apparel trades
A Senate bill introduced this week could have an impact on the Central America and Caribbean apparel trades, should it become law.
Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., introduced the Decent Working Conditions and Fair Competition Act (S. 367) that would ban the import of products made in factories that do not meet the bill's labor standards.
Specifically, the bill would require employees in foreign factories the right to organize and engage in collective bargaining, prohibit the use of compulsory labor, establish a minimum age for the employment of children, and require 'acceptable conditions' in respect to minimum wages, hours of work and occupational safety and health conditions. Acceptable conditions would be determined by laws and regulations in the country where the labor is performed.
The bill is being co-sponsored by Sens. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, Robert Byrd, D-W.V., Russ Feingold, D-Wisc., and Bernie Sanders, I-Vt.