In mid-October European Union member states presented the draft national plans for reform and investment they intend to implement in the next four years, to secure financial support from the Recovery and Resilience Facility. The success of the RRF in building a recovery that is more sustainable, resilient and fairer—as in the ambitions of the European Commission—thus largely depends on the effectiveness of the mix of policy instruments adopted at national level. The commission is in charge of assessing these plans, checking whether they are in line with the priorities set in the country-specific recommendations within the European Semester, and will later monitor their implementation.
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Can Next Generation EU guarantee fair, inclusive recovery? – Francesco Corti, Christian Morabito, Lorenza Antonucci and Michel Vandenbroeck
Showing posts with label Social Justice. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Social Justice. Show all posts
11/12/20
11/30/12
Global Economy: Labor Unions, governments are not the real enemies - by Antony Orlando
It was one of the deadliest industrial accidents in history. Over 100 people died in that clothing factory.and it made headline news all across the world. Surely you’ve read about it by now.
When they tried to escape, the factory workers found the doors locked. It was standard practice at the sweatshop. The managers didn’t want the workers to take unauthorized breaks. So they burned alive.
You probably think I’m talking about the garment factory in Bangladesh, where 112 people died last weekend. But I’m not. I’m talking about the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory in Greenwich Village, New York. The date was March 25, 1911. One hundred forty-six people died that day.
New York City wouldn’t experience another disaster of that magnitude for another ninety years. That date would be September 11, 2001.
It’s hard to believe that such an atrocity happened right here in our own backyard. We’ve become so accustomed to workplace regulations and civil negotiations that we’ve forgotten what factory life was like before the Great Depression. Back then, labor unions were even rarer than they are today. Most strikes ended at the barrel of a gun. The company would call the governor, and the state militia would send soldiers to force the strikers back to work. It wouldn’t be uncommon for them to kill and imprison dozens who stood in their way.
It doesn’t take a PhD in economics to see that an individual worker doesn’t stand a chance of a fair negotiation with a $237 billion corporation like Wal-Mart, especially when unemployment is high. The corporation has so many applicants to choose from. It has all the power. It’s that kind of power that allowed the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory to lock the doors and trap its workers.
That sort of thing doesn’t happen in America anymore, but it’s not because corporations had a change of heart. It’s because the Great Depression motivated Congress to stand behind workers who wish to form labor unions. It’s because the federal government stopped sending soldiers and started sending election supervisors. It’s because they investigated factory conditions and created laws to prevent the loss of innocent life.
This is what our government does. It’s what sets us apart from the destitute places of the world, where good, hard-working people have no protection from the warlords and factory bosses.
In the depths of the Great Depression, Americans watched the Congressional investigation of Wall Street with horror, as the wretched abuses of unregulated banks came to light. The great columnist Walter Lippmann summed up the national mood when he wrote, “No set of men, however honorable they may be, and however good their traditions, can be trusted with so much private power.”
Something to remember when the One Percent refuses to pay the taxes they paid in the booming 1990s, or when they blame the demise of the Twinkie on unions who took pay cuts while executive compensation was soaring.
The 99 Percent isn’t asking for a lot. An hourly wage that doesn’t leave their family in poverty would be nice. A guarantee that Social Security and will still be there when it’s their turn to retire. Maybe also few public schools that aren’t crumbling to the ground.
You know, these are the things that separate us from the Bangladesh’s of the world.
Read more: A Lesson in Power, Courtesy of the Bangladesh Garment Industry – Trading 8s
When they tried to escape, the factory workers found the doors locked. It was standard practice at the sweatshop. The managers didn’t want the workers to take unauthorized breaks. So they burned alive.
You probably think I’m talking about the garment factory in Bangladesh, where 112 people died last weekend. But I’m not. I’m talking about the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory in Greenwich Village, New York. The date was March 25, 1911. One hundred forty-six people died that day.
New York City wouldn’t experience another disaster of that magnitude for another ninety years. That date would be September 11, 2001.
It’s hard to believe that such an atrocity happened right here in our own backyard. We’ve become so accustomed to workplace regulations and civil negotiations that we’ve forgotten what factory life was like before the Great Depression. Back then, labor unions were even rarer than they are today. Most strikes ended at the barrel of a gun. The company would call the governor, and the state militia would send soldiers to force the strikers back to work. It wouldn’t be uncommon for them to kill and imprison dozens who stood in their way.
It doesn’t take a PhD in economics to see that an individual worker doesn’t stand a chance of a fair negotiation with a $237 billion corporation like Wal-Mart, especially when unemployment is high. The corporation has so many applicants to choose from. It has all the power. It’s that kind of power that allowed the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory to lock the doors and trap its workers.
That sort of thing doesn’t happen in America anymore, but it’s not because corporations had a change of heart. It’s because the Great Depression motivated Congress to stand behind workers who wish to form labor unions. It’s because the federal government stopped sending soldiers and started sending election supervisors. It’s because they investigated factory conditions and created laws to prevent the loss of innocent life.
This is what our government does. It’s what sets us apart from the destitute places of the world, where good, hard-working people have no protection from the warlords and factory bosses.
In the depths of the Great Depression, Americans watched the Congressional investigation of Wall Street with horror, as the wretched abuses of unregulated banks came to light. The great columnist Walter Lippmann summed up the national mood when he wrote, “No set of men, however honorable they may be, and however good their traditions, can be trusted with so much private power.”
Something to remember when the One Percent refuses to pay the taxes they paid in the booming 1990s, or when they blame the demise of the Twinkie on unions who took pay cuts while executive compensation was soaring.
The 99 Percent isn’t asking for a lot. An hourly wage that doesn’t leave their family in poverty would be nice. A guarantee that Social Security and will still be there when it’s their turn to retire. Maybe also few public schools that aren’t crumbling to the ground.
You know, these are the things that separate us from the Bangladesh’s of the world.
Read more: A Lesson in Power, Courtesy of the Bangladesh Garment Industry – Trading 8s
10/28/11
New Social Justice Index Places U.S. Near Bottom - by Dan Froomkin
A central concern for those in the Occupy movement -- that the economic system in the U.S. is rigged in favor of the well-off -- has been corroborated by a major new survey of developed nations.
When it comes to social justice -- defined here as the ability each individual has to participate in the market society, regardless of their social status -- the United States ranks near the bottom of 31 developed countries, the Thursday report from Bertelsmann Foundation found.
It's one thing if you live in a market economy where everyone has the same shot at success. It's quite another if fortune favors the fortunate. And the new survey found that when it comes to "equal opportunities for self-realization," the U.S. ranks 27 out of 31 Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development member states, well behind not just Northern European countries like Norway and Denmark, but even countries like Hungary, Poland, Italy and France. The only countries whose citizens fare even worse are Greece, Chile, Mexico and Turkey.
For more: New Social Justice Index Places U.S. Near Bottom
When it comes to social justice -- defined here as the ability each individual has to participate in the market society, regardless of their social status -- the United States ranks near the bottom of 31 developed countries, the Thursday report from Bertelsmann Foundation found.
It's one thing if you live in a market economy where everyone has the same shot at success. It's quite another if fortune favors the fortunate. And the new survey found that when it comes to "equal opportunities for self-realization," the U.S. ranks 27 out of 31 Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development member states, well behind not just Northern European countries like Norway and Denmark, but even countries like Hungary, Poland, Italy and France. The only countries whose citizens fare even worse are Greece, Chile, Mexico and Turkey.
For more: New Social Justice Index Places U.S. Near Bottom
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