Buying More and More for Less and Less

The expanding global economy demands that corporations seek out the cheapest possible labor to maximize profit, and stimulate growth and innovation. With free trade has come an explosion of global inequality making it possible for consumers to buy more and more while paying less and less.

Some in the business world insist that the business sector's efforts to tap into the vast pool of cheap labor in poorer countries are all about free market economics.

Unfortunately, this remains largely ignored by the American consumer.

Chain retailers that sell low-cost goods manufactured overseas by workers who are allegedly paid less than the minimum wage, forced to work long hours, not given overtime pay and even beaten in order to keep them working grueling shifts have become easy targets for human rights groups. Companies that once urged consumers to "Buy American" are among the largest importers of goods made in China, which is one of the world's worst labor abusers.
We have perfected the art of indulgence and avoidance. Wealthy as we are in the West, living and eating off the fruits of their labor, can honestly say we are unaware or that the problem is simply too great to comprehend. In other words, do not to think about it."

We must think about it. And in thinking about it, at some point we must realize that there is a moral dimension to our buying habits. As long as we are willing to buy, buy, buy at lower and lower prices without a care for how those goods were produced or where they came from, corporations will continue to seek out cheap labor, which invariably goes hand in hand with inhumane working conditions.

We should take a moral stand against sweatshop labor. Christ urged his followers to reach out to the less fortunate. Christians claiming to emulate Christ should speak out against slave labor. If Christians would boycott large chains that perpetuate inhumane labor practices and working conditions, it could go a long way toward changing conditions around the world.

The next time you head out the door in search of another great deal, remember that your bargain could be coming at someone else's expense. For example, a report on a Korean-owned factory described working conditions:

Toilets and canteens were unsanitary. Some managers screamed at workers or pressured those who complained to resign. And many women, who comprise 88% of the plant's workers, said they were denied time off for doctors' appointments. One pregnant worker who had a note from her doctor about a high-risk pregnancy was not allowed to leave until five hours after she complained of pain. She lost the baby.

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