Chapter 10 in A New Insurgency, edited by Howard Brick, University of Michigan Press 126 Democracy, Labor, and Globalization: Reflections on Port Huron by Robert J. S. Ross Participatory democracy, the central idea of the Port Huron Statement, is today…
Not Chicago 1968, but Berlin 1932
If left leaning activists are serious about their characterization of Trump as a fascist, then they better get serious about the problem of unity. American Prospect, March 28, 2016:http://prospect.org/article/not-chicago-1968-berlin-1932
Is Labor a Commodity?
A note on Wisconsin judge’s decision overruling that state’s “right-to-Work” legislation. Published at Dissent Magazine April 26, 2016: https://www.dissentmagazine.org/blog/labor-commodity-wisconsin
Inside Bangladeshi Factories: The Real Story
This review of a report by the International Labor Rights Forum was published on the American Prospect website on January 8, 2016: http://prospect.org/article/inside-bangladeshi-factories-real-story
Bringing Labor Rights Back to Bangladesh
This longer article was published in American Prospect on July 12, 2015 and is available at: http://prospect.org/article/bringing-labor-rights-back-bangladesh After a horrific factory collapse in 2013, pressure from global unions, human rights groups, and reputational damage to big fashion brands led to…
Why Voluntary Standards Won’t Make the Global Garment Industry Safer
Robert J. S. Ross June 8, 2015 American Prospect After voluntary codes of conduct failed to prevent the Rana Plaza disaster, garment companies pass the blame. AP Photo/A.M. Ahad In this Monday, April 20, 2015 photo, Mahamudul Hasan Ridoy, 27,…
Two Years After the Rana Plaza Disaster, Are Reforms Real
Two Years After the Rana Plaza Disaster, Are Reforms Real? Robert J. S. Ross April 23, 2015 American Prospect A series of garment factory fires in Bangladesh spurred reforms in the industry. But will they bring meaningful change? Rijans007/Flickr Two…
Inequality and the Global Race to the Bottom
The chase after ever cheaper sites for manufacturing is causing rising inequality, low-wage misery, and unsafe workplaces in many parts of the world, the United States included. The Rana Plaza, an eight-story commercial building in Bangladesh, collapsed a year ago…
On American Retailers and the Bangladesh Disasters
American clothing retailers should put up or shut up The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel May 23, 2013 By Robert J.S. Ross The death of over 1,100 workers in the Bangladesh garment factory collapse now poses a stark challenge to North…
Ralph Lauren and the Olympic Uniforms (from the LA Times)
Op-Ed Hey, Ralph Lauren, sweatshops aren’t chic Olympic gear shouldn’t come from such factories — ours or theirs. By Robert J.S. Ross July 19, 2012 Ralph Lauren, the crown prince of preppy, received more than $30 million in compensation in…