Beijing
In a reversal of decades of policy, some American labor leaders said this week that they’d cooperate with Chinese state–run unions. On a trip to China, Teamsters President James Hoffa and other union chiefs said that if pay and conditions improved for Chinese workers, that would raise the cost of doing business with China—which would be a good development for American labor. “It’s certainly in our interest to see that the workers here have a higher standard of living, that the manufacturers pay a better wage,” Hoffa said. Not all U.S. unions agree. The AFL–CIO opposes cooperation between U.S. and Chinese labor groups and is calling for sanctions to punish China for its poor labor conditions.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Donald Trump’s week in Asia: can he shift power away from China?Today's Big Question US president’s whirlwind week of diplomacy aims to bolster economic ties and de-escalate trade war with China
-
The Icelandic women’s strike 50 years onIn The Spotlight The nation is ‘still no paradise’ for women, say campaigners
-
Mall World: why are people dreaming about a shopping centre?Under The Radar Thousands of strangers are dreaming about the same thing and no one sure why
