US Government Sells Out Your Jobs To Sweat Shops - Uncle Sam Becomes Uncle Walmart

You would think that our own government would support American workers now wouldn't you? This is certainly what I assumed, and I am certain others did also. Well think again! The US government uses sweatshops that employ child labor that provides slave wages. The very sweatshops that our own Labor department chastises.

And we wonder why not enough Americans have jobs? We are being sold out by our very own government that should be leading by example. Yeah they are leading by the example that we should use slave labor in other countries.

This here is a very example of just what all is wrong with our country. Saving the almighty dollar while Americans suffer for jobs all while abusing the poor in other countries. I propose that the US government pulls every darn one of those jobs back into the US! No in fact, I demand it! Grrr....

WASHINGTON — One of the world’s biggest clothing buyers, the United States government spends more than $1.5 billion a year at factories overseas, acquiring everything from the royal blue shirts worn by airport security workers to the olive button-downs required for forest rangers and the camouflage pants sold to troops on military bases.

Labor Department officials say that federal agencies have “zero tolerance” for using overseas plants that break local laws, but American government suppliers in countries including Bangladesh, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Mexico, Pakistan and Vietnam show a pattern of legal violations and harsh working conditions, according to audits and interviews at factories. Among them: padlocked fire exits, buildings at risk of collapse, falsified wage records and repeated hand punctures from sewing needles when workers were pushed to hurry up.

Here are a few examples...

In Bangladesh, shirts with Marine Corps logos sold in military stores were made at DK Knitwear, where child laborers made up a third of the work force, according to a 2010 audit

In Chiang Mai, Thailand, employees at the Georgie & Lou factory, which makes clothing sold by the Smithsonian Institution, said they were illegally docked over 5 percent of their roughly $10-per-day wage for any clothing item with a mistake.

At Zongtex Garment Manufacturing in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, which makes clothes sold by the Army and Air Force, an audit conducted this year found nearly two dozen under-age workers, some as young as 15.

“Sometimes people soil themselves at their sewing machines,” one worker said, because of restrictions on bathroom breaks.

U.S. Flouts Its Own Advice in Procuring Overseas Clothing

Sad day when the US government does not want to buy American...

reply to post by elouina


US Government Sells Out Your Jobs To Sweat Shops - Uncle Sam Becomes Uncle Walmart





You are just now figuring this out..?


Just wait until you discover this thing called the Affordable Care Act - you're gonna shat your pants...

Don't forget Apple!

It would cost more to have factories in the USA make the same clothes, which in turn would mean we'd have to pay more taxes to afford it.

It's sad, but true.

MystikMushroom
It would cost more to have factories in the USA make the same clothes, which in turn would mean we'd have to pay more taxes to afford it.

It's sad, but true.

Not really, how many people would be removed from welfare as a result? People that could have their pride instilled back into themselves? And will also become taxpayers. A double benefit if you ask me. Exporting jobs costs US taxpayers!

Bringing these jobs back to America would contribute to a more robust economy.

reply to post by elouina


You don't understand. The government would have to pay twice as much or more for the same clothes. People (even on welfare) are not going to work for the same wages as someone in Indonesia.

I agree it'd be great -- but the suppliers the government would be buying from would have to charge more to keep their profit margin the same.

That is, unless you are advocating that the government open up it's own factories and directly employ the people?

MystikMushroom
reply to post by elouina

 

You don't understand. The government would have to pay twice as much or more for the same clothes. People (even on welfare) are not going to work for the same wages as someone in Indonesia.

I agree it'd be great -- but the suppliers the government would be buying from would have to charge more to keep their profit margin the same.

That is, unless you are advocating that the government open up it's own factories and directly employ the people?

You know sometimes there are things that are more important than money. You can hand out a welfare check, or you can allow people to work. And like I said, these people will become contributors to our economy vs. takers. Plus, our government spends countless dollars on projects that are nothing near as important as this. The government needs to support the American people, period!

And no, I do not advocate government owned factories or anything else....

reply to post by MystikMushroom

You don't understand. The government would have to pay twice as much or more for the same clothes. People (even on welfare) are not going to work for the same wages as someone in Indonesia.

This off-shoring didn't happen overnight but reversing this travesty against both child workers and the American people by having the government buy American would be a good thing. Phase it back in just as they phased out our jobs.

As more Americans become employed in the manufacturing the less of an issue it will be on folks at the lowest economic level. Personally I'd rather have a decent paying job than cheap 3rd world clothes from Wal-Mart.

MystikMushroom
reply to post by elouina

 

You don't understand. The government would have to pay twice as much or more for the same clothes. People (even on welfare) are not going to work for the same wages as someone in Indonesia.

I agree it'd be great -- but the suppliers the government would be buying from would have to charge more to keep their profit margin the same.

That is, unless you are advocating that the government open up it's own factories and directly employ the people?

The higher paying jobs here would allow for more tax revenues at worker and business rates.

Local, State, and Federal.

And then factor in the savings at all levels for welfare, unemployment, and health care costs.

I think it's about the corporatist agenda.

Do we know who the master companies are ?

And maybe the Lobbyists ?

reply to post by xuenchen


And in a perfect system it might work. I'd like to see who these clothing suppliers are, and how they are awarded their contracts.

I'd love to see Americans going to work and taking back manufacturing jobs. I suppose the government could step in and mandate that as part of their contract, the clothing must be made in the USA.

Trust me, I'm all for it...but the sad reality is that these clothing companies are out to maximize profit, not protect American jobs.

Besides our jobs being outsourced to other countries, we also give jobs that are right here to illegals. Not easy for our citizens.

reply to post by MystikMushroom

I would be ok with the Feds funding local communities (not governments) to build and run factories to compete with private business.

I think you guys are all missing the real issue behind this by being politically blinded like they want you to be. Take the blinders off. And to show you that this is coming from some one who is not blinded by the right or left.

www.abovetopsecret.com...

Yes Hillary Clinton building supply chain for Walmart using USAID funding. Why do I say this is Walmart supply chain. Because Walmart has it in the contracts that they will have exclusive rights to sell the products. So why would Hillary do such a thing. Money in her pockets. She did start out with Walmart as a attorney. Why would the government go along with this. It is so in your face using your position in office to profit. Well they rest of our government knows the dirty secret behind allowing this. Walmart falls under the ISO9001 corporate governance. So what does that mean? They spy on your whole supply chain from beginning to end. Walmart buys from you they spy on you and anyone who supplies you or works for you. That is why our government went along with it. Republican Democrat alike. Our military gets to spy on these countries through Walmart. And that will only open the flood gates to the rest of the spying to follow. Just like Koch Industries and Halliburton selling equipment to Iran allowed STUXnet. Walmart will allow the NSA to setup shop in South America.

reply to post by Bassago


Well said! Bravo!

And to all the people at ATS without jobs, why are you not here supporting this? This is where your jobs went, or at least one example that is. How can we expect to lift anyone out of poverty when you have piss poor economic policies such as this?

What I want to know right now is who the heck was the bozo that made the original decision to do this? And where is our glorious leader that is supposedly looking out for the poor?