May 24, 2005
Moving Walmex
As I wrote before, a good way to improve conditions at the Mexican-American border and for the millions of Mexicans living on both sides of it is to raise Mexican per capita income. And a good way to do that is to raise wages at it's largest, least inflationary employer: Walmart Mexico. (Admittedly, inflation in Mexico is much more of a beast than in the U.S., but even so, the emphasis should be on prices, not wages).
But how to do that?
Some conceptual advice. First, blur the line between domestic and international policy. Mexican immigration is one of the clearest examples of an issue which straddles this false divide.
Second, blur the line between state and federal party policy. We don't have diddly for policy-making options in Washington, but we do have some state capitols, and many of these are in states with Democrat-leaning Mexican-American populations. Let's get progressive in these states. We can shore up our base and help Mexicans help themselves at the same time.
Some policy advice. First lead. Democratic attorneys general, such as Elliot Spitzer, and Democratic governors and state legislatures should investigate Wal-Mart’s labor practices more closely.
The documented labor-rights violations (such as employee lock-ins) may be endemic, or they may be the result of a few overzealous managers. But we should throw the full bad-p.r. pressure of public hearings and media scrutiny on them.
With such bad labor p.r. in the headlines, Wal-Mart's opposition to unions becomes less tenable.
Second, our major union allies, such as the AFL-CIO, should use this opportunity to launch a do-or-die organization campaign. In lieu of this, the Democratic Party should organize Wal-Mart stores on its own. Even if this is a complete failure, we will have at least shown a core electoral base that we are on their side.
Third, U.S. Walmart labor organizers must travel to Mexico to coordinate their efforts with Mexican labor leaders. Share strategies, share tactics. Management can share labor-thwarting tactics across the Mexico-U.S. border. Why shouldn't we share pro-labor ones?
Fourth: Blood, sweat and tears. Or at least sweat. Better if there's no blood and only their tears.
Posted by James Fichter at May 24, 2005 12:32 PM
