What can you get for $1.50 in Vietnam...

[Supermodel]

I'd like your thoughts on the topic of global corporations placing manufacturing sites in poor countries to obtain cheap labor.

If Nike pays $1.50 a day (I heard that on the radio) for a sneaker worker, and $1.50 is a good going wage for that pay scale in Vietnam, why is that wrong?

Yes, it's less than workers in the USA or develoiped world would get.
Yes, the Vienamese worker has a very poor standard of living.
Yes, Nike will not allow the workers to unionize.

But what is better: no jobs at all?
Paying way more than the going wage?

Somebody help me with a policy towards cheap foreign labor? What alternatives do you suggest?

[reagan lives]

I've said this before, I'll say it again.

Nike and other US MNC's outsource a lot of their manufacturing to third-party international contractors, who operate factories in various nations. The American corporations naturally give the contracts to whichever contractor brings in the lowest bid. The contractors, in order to lower their bids, look to operate in nations where they can have the cheapest overhead. So leaders of various Third-World nations throw labor standards into the trash bin in order to attract these contractors and tax them

The only way to improve standards in the Third World is for those nations to get leaders that aren't assholes.

[poncho]

"The only way to improve standards in the Third World is for those nations to get leaders that aren't assholes."--Reagan Lives

Especially true of Ronald Reagan anytime a third world country that has a factory or business concern and the people wanted change ie:tougher labor laws, tax's, banking laws that would see taxes on money leaving over a certain amount. Anything remotely seen as socialist the U.S government directly or indirectly intervenes.

[Hayduke]

http://infoshop.org/graphics/15.jpg

Or like comrade commie would say " revolution the only solution "