I have been remotely monitoring the ongoing saga between the Professional Associations and the Jordanian government with great interest. For some reason I feel compelled to comment on what‘s going on: These "professional" unions are becoming a waste of space. Many unions that impose mandatory subscription fees fail to do anything useful for members, instead wasting time, effort and energy indulging in regional politics.
I wonder: If they are so keen on debating political issues then why not pursue other avenues to do so? The unions shouldn’t be a platform for voicing frustration about issues like the American administration’s foreign policy, as but one example.
Instead of focusing their time on, say, increasing the minimum wages of their members and finding ways to improve their respective professional fields, the unions organize rallies, events and sit-ins discussing regional (Note: regional not local) politics — something that will advance their particular body absolutely nowhere!
Inspired by a Thomas Friedman column, I’m compelled to say that the associations focus all their energy on anti-Americanism, failing to see the problems in their own backyards. If they insist on putting regional politics such as Iraqi elections (as another example) ahead of their real raison d’être then I would not shed one tear if they were closed down!
Jeff,
Thanks for the additional information. I am quite facinated by them as well and very interested in how they operate and even more how families have been positively affected by them. They do seem to be popping up all over Jordan. As for Jordanian workers, I think the “shame” of working as a laborer is slowly evaporating from Jordanian society..at least I hope so. I was always amazed on how many Jordanians that would rather sit home unemployed while those from other countries filled these types of jobs.
From what I know, locals are not permitted to purchase any of the clothing manufactured there; even workers are not allowed to purchase from the factory owners. Once the shipping containers are loaded they are sealed and sent off to Aqaba for loading onto the vessels. I am sure many would like to get their hands on some of that clothing…me included…as it is much more superior to that which is sold in the Jordanian marketplace.
The QIZs are quite curious in fact. We ran many stories on them while I was at the Jordan Times. I do believe that everyone gets a minimum of 85 JD (a bit over $100), as that’s the mandated minimum wage in the kingdom.
There are a large number of foreign workers there but that number is ever shrinking. The labor ministry was working diligently through a number of training programs to get locals up to speed. And the mills themselves are pushing for more local labor — it’s a big, big push actually.
There’s even a bit of social reshaping occurring, where young girls that might never have left the house before marriage in some of the smaller villages are being allowed by their families to move to dormitories for the factories, living with other girls that work there. These locations may be hours from their homes. And these girls are becoming the primary bread winners for their families.
It’s in some ways a bit disturbing and in other ways very interesting. The garments being created, I learned, go to names like The Gap, J. Crew and Land’s End. We were interested in seeing if any “outlets” might exist like they do in the US. After all, it’d be nice if locals (even us) could buy these garments for a price considerably lower than that adjusted for US average incomes.
Wendy,
Yep. You are right. I’ve met a few of the factory owners and employees through relatives who do business with them…but have not visited the factories to see the working conditions. I am not sure though if it is the company VS (I think they also own Express and Bath and Body Works, The Limited) or JC Penny that are the business entities that run the factory, but rather these companies contract the making of the garments to the owners of these mills. For example, JC Penny may place an order for 250K pairs of jeans and the company will deliver these. Many of the workers though are from China or SE Asia. There are also locals working in these but not to the extent many would think. I have heard that the salary is 75 JD per month…but I could be wrong as that is second hand. The important thing I think here is that the exports from these QIZ, go to the US. Jordanian exports are moving into the billions of dollars per year whereas only a few years ago were only in the tens of millions. And although many of the laborers are from outside of Jordan, they also spend their money in the cities they live in. I am sure this has helped other businesses and the Jordanian economy.
Wendy, yes, Cnn did a story about the manufacturer in JOrdan that takes care of some of the Victoria Secrets projects. They also mentioned that they put Made in Israel on the Labels instead of Made in Jordan. I forget why the reporter said they did that. I have to look that up on Lexus Nexus. But the great thing i remember about that story was the working conditions were great, and they were giving women in villages (who were uneducated) the chance to work and make money and go to college. Some of the women interviewed in the story were talking about how independent they felt and how they wont have to worry about getting married because they can take care of themseleves. Now this is a great example of a good manufacturer and comapny.
Luai and Linda,
Victoria’s Secret and JC Penney’s both have factories in Jordan. They trained unemployed Jordanians to do the jobs. Happy shopping!
I have never dealt with it from a retailers perspective, but I have worked on several turnarounds involving large US based manufacturers competing against imports. In all cases we had to shut down plants domestically and move towards production in Asia. It is not the big corporations that create the low cost producers in Asia (and even if they are not sweatshops they will be low cost due to wage rates, government assistance, and no environmental or other regulatory laws over there), enterprising people in those countries start producing things at low cost and trying to sell in a high price market (US). Absent effective tariffs, if the domestic companies I work with continue to produce entirely in the US, their product will be more expensive. In the end, consumers will not, and it may not be reasonable to expect them to pay more, for a product because it is made domestically, and retailers can not have things at higher prices than their competitors. Now, I haven’t worked with clothing (where maybe you can price high due to brand name), but in other industries this has been a killer.
In my experience, the unions have a role, but it is often abused. Every time they have an election for union leader, the person who wins wants to prove that he will fight for more for them, so whether or not there is anything wrong, they will present ever-increasing demands. Unfortunately, the increasing labor costs often force plant closures.
Also, for things like locking employees in at night, there are already laws against that – usually in fire codes in most places.
WEll thank you Luai for your kind words. As for the citizens who shop at these stores I say the problem lies with news media. An informed community is a powerful one, and unfortunatley, mainstream news and investigative journalists are not doing their job. YEah there are a few stories about this topic, but not enough. And we all know why that is. News is no longer a duty, something needed for the country, but instead it has become a business where money is the most important factor. Its coprporate media and what are we to do?
Linda,
I really respect and admire you for taking the time to be an educated consumer and allowing your $$ and feet to do the talking for you in your stand against employee/ 3rd world factory worker exploitation. Many of us don’t have the time or patience to do that. I would be interested in some kind of expose’ story with hidden cameras and secret interviews. Maybe you could do that on your trip this summer. 🙂
BTW, don’t be surprised if you see “Made in Jordan” on labels. I don’t know the conditions these workers work in, but I would be interested to know. I know that many come from China seeking employment in Jordan and there are locals who work in these textile mills.
Yes. Many business don’t follow ethical practices for a variety of reasons. But I think that to blame the customers that shop there is difficult. They are in a bad position. The best entity to put pressure on are the stockholders. But they invest to make money and most don’t care how. If these shareholders would demand better business practices then change may happen. But happens when profits start to fall…they jump ship and leave the company on it’s own with a much lower stock price.
As for Wal-Mart coming in. There is a local effort trying to stop just that. But from the standpoint that the infrastructure cannot handle the increase in traffic that will be generated the small town feel of this city of 5500 residents will change. I support the fight against this particualar WM, b/c of the problems that will come out of it’s construction. The best thing about it is that citizens can have their voices heard and from what I’ve heard will have to opportunity to vote on whether is will be allowed to be built. But, there a Wal-Mart nearby that serves the poor and those that live on “the other side of the tracks”… ma and pa shops have long left that area due to crime and neglect and WM has filled a need. Actually it has promoted business with many larger retailers filling the strip mall where is is located to capacitiy. It has actually had a reverse effect to what the community expected and it spurred economic growth.
Luai,
You make excellent points, but I guess what I am trying to say is that I wish both unions and corporations follow ethical business practices, which in my opnion, it is not happening.
As for customers going somewhere else if they are not happy, that is really hard to do, especially in small towns where Wal Mart comes in and puts all the ma and pa shops out of business.
By the way, that guy who broke his leg was not smoking. The fire alarm went off and he was trying to brake down the door so he and all the other workers could exit. I will do a search on the story on Lexus Nexus and send you them.
There are many companies that send their products to be made outside the USA and thats great. but there are many comapnies who knowingly still do business with manufacturers that abuse their workers. And well I personally would not want to wear something made by a child who works in a wearhouse under very poor conditions (condtions we would never work under)and only makes 12 cents a day. Thats just how i feel about it.
As for where do I shop? I try to buy labels that at least try to make their products in an ethical way. Since I have most recently learned and have been educated on this topic by many of my fellow graduate students, I unfortuantley have labels in my closet that are sweat shop made. But now, since I have been enlightened about this topic (hey im only 21) I know try to shop at places like American Aparel, Liz Claiborne (which fixed their act after 1996), DKNY. Im not absolutely perfect in trying to be a responsible shopper, but i do my research and try to be a better shopper. It is the least i can do.
Linda…I am just curious, where exactly do you shop? Don’t tell me you knit your own sweaters and make your own shoes. Just kidding with ya
🙂
What about the UAW. It’s about the union making all these demands that make it difficult for business to make money. Pretty soon the companies are losing money and find it better to close the plants or stores. Flint, Michigan and General Motors Case Study….Once a thriving city thanks to GM, I blame the unions for turning it into a decaying metropolis. Unions make it virtually impossible to fire workers. If a company threatens to fire someone the unions says we all walk off the job. So what if he came in stoned, was drinking on the job, or didn’t bother to show up we are the union and you can’t do a thing about it.
As for Wal-Mart, it provides those with not much of an income a place to shop for things that are usually higher at other stores. They are not selling Gucci or Prada, or even Nike and Polo. Customers go where the low prices are and if you add a union to the mix, certainly higher prices will follow and than where will all those who currently shop at WM, go? The profit margin is already too small and with an increase in expenses due to union demands, the constomer will make up the difference with raised prices.
I really feel for that poor guy with the broken leg. He wanted to smoke on company time. Why should WalMart pay him while he is out smoking. But this is America, the land of lawsuits. I am sure that guy is no longer working at Wal-Mart, but owns many, many shares of the corporation he received in the settlement agreement.
If workers feel they work in a threating environment, then look for another job. Better themselves..go back to school…don’t just stay and complain. I don’t blame the corporations who are businesses. They are there to make a profit and make stockholders happy and provide a safe working environment.
And Gap, Express, Limited can charge whatever they want cause people pay. $80 jeans, 40 t-shirts, $15 socks… you name it. But comparing shoppers at these stores to shopper of WalMart is a strech in my opinion. Those at WM are most likely bargin shopper, on fixed incomes or poor and they are not going to Williams Sonoma to buy a spatula for $20 when they can get one at WalMart for $1.49 Businesses will charge whatever the customer is willing to pay or the consumer will go somewhere else or just have to do without it.