1. Such a label would assure consumers that the product was made in compliance with international labor standards. 2. Another disappointment is that Oxfam cannot distance itself from the protectionist pleas of those who would impose minimum labor standards on poor countries. 3. Arguments about whether the WTO should even examine the links among labor standards, the environment and trade sped the collapse of the trade talks in Seattle in December. 4. Also Wednesday, state Sen. Nicholas A. Spano said he would conduct an investigation to insure that proper training and labor standards are met. 5. But he bristled at criticism from organized labor and many liberal Democrats that his negotiators should have included labor standards and goals for environmental improvement in the accord. 6. But the AFL-CIO umbrella union was involved in negotiating the trade agreement with Jordan, specifying what it considered acceptable core labor standards and enforcement provisions. 7. But they do say that they are now opposed to trade accords unless they raise labor standards in foreign nations. 8. But this is the first time the union has sought to negotiate a global set of labor standards, covering every country in which a corporation operates. 9. But Washington should not pursue business promotion at the expense of efforts to encourage respect for labor standards, human rights, and the environment. 10. Congress refused to renew fast-track because the administration has insisted on attaching clauses that covered labor standards and the environment to any renewal legislation. |