[pnutjam]

I say taxes aren't necessary. Just hold companies accountable for every step in their manufacturing chain. They need to audit and ensure factories address meeting or standards for the workers.

I don't mean wages, I mean safety, overtime, etc. Labor needs to be valued at home and abroad.

[simonh]

I'm all for holding companies accountable for their supply chain management, but within reason. I can't see the US government accepting EU employment contract, health, safety and business practices imposed on the US arbitrarily. There has to be some flexibility. Let's be clear, the west has reaped _staggering_ economic benefits from opening up China. Of course there have been costs too, some of them painful, but that's always the way with economic change.

[pnutjam]

It's not the other country accepting, it's ensuring the company adheres to certain standards in it's supply chain. Any penalties would be assessed against the US based company.