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The Disgraceful Treatment of U.S. Workers

From: Dick Meister
Length: 05:11

An international union confederation has issued a new report detailing the truly rotten treatment suffered by many U.S. workers. Read the full description.

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Playing: The Disgraceful Treatment of U.S. Workers
From: Dick Meister

Default-piece-image-0 A new report by the International Trade Union Confederation details the truly rotten conditions of many U.S. workers. The situation, furthermore, is steadily growing worse. Many workers don't even have the legal right to unionization, and many who do have the right face heavy, often illegal, employer and government pressures to keep them from unionizing. The United States, in short, is in serious violation of international labor standards, in large part because of the action -- or inaction-- of the Bush administration.

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Piece Description

A new report by the International Trade Union Confederation details the truly rotten conditions of many U.S. workers. The situation, furthermore, is steadily growing worse. Many workers don't even have the legal right to unionization, and many who do have the right face heavy, often illegal, employer and government pressures to keep them from unionizing. The United States, in short, is in serious violation of international labor standards, in large part because of the action -- or inaction-- of the Bush administration.

Broadcast History

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Transcript

The International Trade Union Confederation has issued an extremely damning report on the conditions and treatment of America?s working people. The confederation, which represents168 million workers worldwide, concludes that the United States has an exceptionally poor record in labor matters ? a truly rotten record that is steadily getting even worse, and setting a terrible example for other countries to follow.

The United States, in short, is in serious violation of international labor standards.
How bad is the U.S. record? As the report notes, many U.S. workers do not even have the basic right to form unions ? most farmworkers, for instance, domestic workers, supervisors, independent contractors and 40 percent of all public employees.

Even those who have the legal right to unionization face heavy and often illegal anti-union pressures from employers, More than four out of five e...
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