Students, faculty, and other members of the Dartmouth community gathered in 105 Dartmouth Hall last night to listen to a lecture by President of the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations, John J. Sweeney.
The speech, titled "Making the Global Economy Work for Working Families -- Beyond the WTO," focused on the need for the creation and enforcement of laws guaranteeing workers' rights around the world in an era of increasing dominance of the world's economy by multinational corporations.
"The global economy isn't working for working people," Sweeney said.
Overall, the gap between the world's rich and poor remains sizeable, with the world's 200 richest people possessing more wealth than the rest of the global population combined, he said.
According to Sweeney, despite the seeming widespread financial prosperity in the United States, many Americans -- specifically the poor -- have not benefited from the economic boom of the past few years.
More working class Americans, Sweeney said, are now working longer hours at jobs that offer less security and fewer benefits than in past years.
Conditions are no better in the rest of the world, with Japan in the midst of a decade-long depression and Europe plagued with large scale long-term unemployment.
Another issue Sweeney addressed are the problems faced by developing countries that wish to take part in the emerging global economy. The industries of these nations must compete with stronger multinational corporations while saddled with massive amounts of debt, Sweeney said.
Their disadvantageous positions often force these businesses to ignore such concerns as workers' rights and environmental regulations in favor of manufacturing and selling products in the most cost-effective manner possible.
The disparity between the United States and other nations in regard to laws governing the working conditions and environmental protection came to a head at the World Trade Organization conference in Seattle last November.
There, the AFL-CIO, among other organizations, staged demonstrations emphasizing the importance of the institution of rules guaranteeing workers' rights and environmental protection throughout the world.
The demonstrations received wide media coverage due to several violent incidents that occurred during the protests.
Sweeney stressed that these incidences were not caused by members of the AFL-CIO but rather by a well-organized group of anarchists.
At Seattle, the AFL-CIO, as well as labor organizations from other countries, "changed the terms of debate over globalization," through peaceful marches and gatherings, garnering the attention of the Clinton administration, said Sweeney.
Sweeney criticized the administration for encouraging the establishment of permanent, normal trade relations with China.
"China is an exceptionally bad world citizen," he said, referring to human rights violations and labor practices.
Sweeney opposes the acceptance of China as a regular U. S. trade partner because of the country's oppressive tactics in dealing with its labor force.
In China, Sweeney said, workers are prohibited from organizing labor unions and are subject to arrest for even attempting to do so, a practice the AFL-CIO finds unacceptable.
Sweeney praised President Clinton for an executive order he recently issued banning the adoption of trade agreements with countries that do not make provisions for abolishing certain forms of child labor. Sweeney wished the President would expand this order to include other requisite working conditions.
According the Sweeney, a new challenge faced by the AFL-CIO is how to reach out to newer members of the American workforce, including women and minorities, as well as to workers in the computer industry. The AFL-CIO is currently facilitating discussions with Microsoft employees about union organization.
"We can and we will reform the global economy," Sweeney said.
Sweeney is currently serving his second term as president of the AFL-CIO. His presentation at the College is part of a lecture series sponsored by the Nelson A. Rockefeller Center.
