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Between two fake gravestones made for Halloween hilarity, Julie Keith found a note. It was a note that someone risked his or her life to send...
It was from a Chinese laborer, who worked in the plant that made the gravestones.
"Sir," the note began, "if you occasionally buy this product, please kindly resend this letter to the World Human Right Organization. Thousands people here who are under the persecution of the Chinese Communist Party Government will thank and remember you forever."
It goes on...
"People who work here have to work 15 hours a day without a Saturday, Sunday break and any holidays. Otherwise, they will suffer torturement, beat and rude remark. Nearly no payment (10 yuan/1 month)." That equals approximately $1.61 per month.
This has not been the only note found. Two weeks ago, another was discovered on a toilet seat shipped from China and was posted on Reddit.
If one wants to question the veracity of the letters, all I can tell you is that Sophie Richardson, China Director of Human Rights Watch, told the Oregonian newspaper, "I think it is fair to say the conditions described in the letter certainly conform to what we know about conditions in the re-education through labor camps."
Yahoo's Jessica Ferri catches us up: "The concern over the conditions laborers must endure in China and other countries first came to the public eye in the 1980s with the use of sweatshops to make Nike sneakers.
"Since then, according to an article recently published in The New York Times, Nike 'has convened public meetings of labor, human rights, environmental and business leaders to discuss how to improve overseas factories.'
"Tech companies, like Apple and Hewlett Packard, are being made to be accountable for their labor practices. After receiving a great deal of criticism, Apple is now making public statements that they are aware of the harsh conditions in China and are taking steps to improve them."
If a company moves manufacturing jobs to another country because they are given tax breaks, labor is less expensive because the cost of living in that country is lower or because unions there haven't bloated the cost of doing business, then more power to them. Americans don't want to hear this, but that's really quite American--it's smart business.
I'd rather those jobs stay in the United Sates, but the United States can't get lazy and assume that if it waves the red, white and blue businesses will stay here...it needs to give them incentive.
However, slave labor is an entirely different matter.
The question must be asked of American companies: If it's not okay to enslave Americans, how can it possibly be okay to take advantage of enslaved Chinese...or Vietnamese...or Bangladeshi...or...?
The question can also be asked: If the job of companies is to turn a profit, and there is nothing illegal about using these slave labor camps, then why bother worrying about it?
It's a question of character.
Character is a vital leadership quality that inspires a work force to follow the leader. By character I don't mean perfection, but I do mean displayed behaviors that are admired.
People don't admire leaders who have no moral compass. Doing business with sweatshops will yield short-term profits to be sure, but will cripple companies, their morale and their reputations (and profits) long-term.
The hypocrisy of taking advantage of our open system to build our markets and then exploiting closed systems for slave labor is beyond the pale.
Profits are king in business. But for the long-term health, dignity, vibrancy and, yes, profits of a company, morality matters.
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