U.S. Fought To Lower Minimum Wage In Haiti So Hanes And Levis Would Stay Cheap

[KamaAina]

http://www.businessinsider.com/wikileaks-haiti-minimum-wage-the-nation-2011-6

It started when Haiti passed a law two years ago raising its minimum wage to 61 cents an hour. According to an embassy cable:

This infuriated American corporations like Hanes and Levi Strauss that pay Haitians slave wages to sew their clothes. They said they would only fork over a seven-cent-an-hour increase, and they got the State Department involved. The U.S. ambassador put pressure on Haiti’s president, who duly carved out a $3 a day minimum wage for textile companies (the U.S. minimum wage, which itself is very low, works out to $58 a day).

Haiti has about 25,000 garment workers. If you paid each of them $2 a day more, it would cost their employers $50,000 per working day, or about $12.5 million a year ... As of last year Hanes had 3,200 Haitians making t-shirts for it. Paying each of them two bucks a day more would cost it about $1.6 million a year. Hanesbrands Incorporated made $211 million on $4.3 billion in sales last year.

Thanks to U.S. intervention, the minimum was raised only to 31 cents.

Yes, it is from 2011, but still...

[polly7]

1. OMG

Like Haiti doesn't have enough problems without foreign companies and gov'ts working to impoverish them even further. I wish they'd kick them out and start their own production lines.

Absolutely sickening.

[riseabove]

2. How can Obama do that? That's ridiculous and anti progressive... but that's to my further point

Corporations really only do, what our government let's them get away with. They maybe be morally bankrupt, but that's why it's up to the people we voted for to not accept lobbyist money and sell out.

Lobbying needs to be eliminated... it's basically legalized bribery!

[JaydenD]

13. Google around for Hillary, the Clinton/Bush Haiti relief fund drive,

and 'Haiti Open for business' while she was SoS. Thier so called humanitarisms there is nothing more than making business more lucrative for their rich friends and associates. And the media is behind them by rarely talking about stuff like this that they do.

I don't believe for a second that Obama has it in his heart to approve or initiate something like this, but I know the Clintons do, have and will again. But these things they do don't get much attention and if I had links to stories they would soon be snickered at and mocked, the source would be questioned and probably an alert or two would be sent because this would be impure thoughts that only Republicans have.

Wait to hear this: minimum wage only went up bla bla cents partly because of the Clintons - well, at least THAT'S SOMETHING.

[riseabove]

15. You could be right.... all I know is I wanted to see who was behind this, expecting Repbulicans

as usual... only to find that apparently when the companies in question found out that the Haitians wanted a wage increase, they ran to the State Department and they got U.S. ambassadors to put pressure on Haiti's president.

Truly disturbing if true.

Really sick of supporting people from all walks of life only to find out their not all they were cracked up to be.

Would be nice to have someone politically that you can stand behind, and breathe easy knowing you can rely on them to carry out what they promised, or preach.

[Doctor_J]

14. What could have led you to think Obama is progressive?

He's the most corporate-friendly president in history. This news should shock no one.

[JaydenD]

17. so you think ACA is Regressive, and the DADT repeal is as well

how about Lily Ledbetter law, is that regressive? Or that gay couples can now visit each other in hospitals, it's the law. Tons more regressive shit he has done, what a bastard.

Most corporate friendly would be Clinton (I mean how much bigger friendsly can you get by China most Favored Nation and NAFTA? That's a few truckloads of wtf right there) and or Reagan, maybe throw in a Bush or two for good measure too. Heartily disagree with you and I just have to wonder what the hell have you been reading and where?

[Doctor_J]

18. You think the ACA isn't corporate-friendly?

It's the biggest transfer of wealth from private citizens to the corporations in history. He is still on the record as wanting to fast-track TPP (NAFTA on steroids). The Bush-Obama tax cuts were renewed. Arne Duncan is leading the charge to privatise all of education. Then there's this

Can you name some legislation passed during the last 6 years that wasn't pro-corporation?

[OffWithTheirHeads]

3. Cheap? $60.00 for a pair of jeans ain't cheap.

[LanternWaste]

7. Is $60.00 the mean price for a pair of jeans?

Is $60.00 the mean price for a pair of jeans?

[OffWithTheirHeads]

9. Herre iin Tucson that's the going rate for mens Levis.

I should know, I just got lucky and found a pair on sale for $40

[Brickbat]

4. "So Hanes And Levis Would Stay Cheap".

No, so their profit margins would stay the same. I have yet to see a "savings" in the cost of production passed on to the consumer.

[KamaAina]

8. And don'tcha know, I'm wearing Hanes today.

Of course, given its placement, that's actually kind of appropriate.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

11. That's because customer #1 is Wall Street.

[hobbit709]

5. Stay cheap hell!! Increase their profit margin is what it is.

Have you priced Levis lately?

[leftstreet]

6. +1

[BrotherIvan]

16. But that is the problem

The working class has been squeezed so hard, no one here can afford US Made goods. It's a vicious cycle. Jeans to the level of Levi's construction would cost anywhere from $10-25 dollars to sew (cheaper if they owned their own factories). Wholesale to retailers is 50%, not to mention fabric costs, notions, shipping, etc. To keep the prices as low as they are, there is no other way than slave wages. If people put a premium on items made in the USA and paid what they were worth, this would no longer be an issue. It's really that simple.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

10. "Democracy Now!" did a great job on the whole US backed coop.

[Botany]

12. Hanes pays Michael Jordan $20 million per year

[madokie]

19. Levi's cheap

hell I paid 45 bucks for a pair of 501's recently. I've yet to wear them and might not as I'm not sure I like the tight fitting legs anymore. Hell I'm surprised that I have some meat on my boney ass legs actually. LOL