ssue of great interest at both the Federal and State level. A mix of legislation was enacted this year, with laws passed both to strengthen and to relax child laborregulation.[ in the U.S.]” ( Nelson, par. 7). The United States itself is still having problemsweeding out these companies who are producing merchandise in such conditions. The problem ofsweatshops is also evident in the U.S.. Consumers should use the resources given to them. One extremely useful resource is theU.S. Department of Labor’s website [http://www.dol.gov/dol/esa/public/nosweat/trands.htm]. Here they can find a list of retailers that are using enlightened sourcing practices. They can alsocontact the consumer group that they use most regularly and persuade them to include workplaceconditions in their report. By doing this the U.S. Department of Labor is making a lot ofconsumers more aware of a situation of sweatshops, most of these consumers they reach arecompletely ignorant of the situation. This could greatly influence the way people shop.After consumers take these steps, the companies will see the effect. Hopefully the effectwill be great enough that the company will change their labor practices. By making thecompanies change their labor practices, the consumer has made a difference. Without theconsumer and the aid of different National Labor Committees, the companies could not bepersuaded to change their ways. Mueckler 7Consumer’s children can also get involved. Children have a voice and when they areinformed of such activities as child labor and sweatshops they can be useful tools. Maria Sweeneysaw this potential in her fourth grade class. Every year she has her students choose a topic of social significance for an end of the year play. One year her students chose global sweatshops andchose the Nike and Disney companies to be their focus (par. 2). The children were cautious withchoosing these companies.Nike was at the top of the...
