[Marxism] China to Press More Firms to Unionize (WSJ)

[Walter Lippmann <walterlx@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

======================================================
(During Mr. Stern's visit, organizers from the SEIU and the ACFTU shared 
strategies, 
and the two sides talked about developing national agreements with companies 
rather 
than local contracts. "We'd rather have their wages come up, rather than 
American 
wages go down," he said, adding that the SEIU will continue to build its 
relationship 
with the Chinese union.)

======================================================
(COMMENT: A distinctly positive change of pace from a prominent U.S. trade 
unionist. 
More U.S. trade unionists should probably to to China and see it for 
themselves, too.
Wouldn't it be nice if the United States had a government which encouraged 
workers
to join trade unions? China's government is led by a bunch of COMMUNISTS...)
======================================================

October 13, 2006

China to Press More Firms to Unionize
By MEI FONG
October 13, 2006; Page A4
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL

BEIJING -- China's main government-backed trade body will pressure
more foreign companies to install unions after successfully organizing 
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. in China this year.

Guo Wencai, director general at the All-China Federation of Trade
Unions, described the push yesterday as "another wave."

Among the companies on its new target list: Eastman Kodak Co. of
Rochester, N.Y.; Dell Inc. of Round Rock, Texas; and Taiwan company
Foxconn Technology Holdings, a parts supplier for Apple Computer
Inc.'s iPods. "We are going to exert very high pressure on these
companies until unions are established there," Mr. Guo said.

The move follows the rapid spread of unions across Wal-Mart China's
62 retail stores this year, after years of pressure from the
federation.

A Kodak spokesman in China said the company doesn't oppose trade
unions. David Frink, a spokesman for Dell, said, "We are strongly
committed to being a great place to work and having open and direct
and regular communications with our staff at all levels," adding that
Dell now has 6,000 employees in China.

Foxconn declined to comment.

Mr. Guo said the union's success with Wal-Mart has boosted morale and
increased demands to establish unions in all foreign-funded
enterprises in China. These include Fortune 500, Hong Kong and Taiwan
companies, he said, adding that the ACFTU has begun "an irreversible
trend."

Andy Stern, president of the U.S.'s Service Employees International
Union, who was recently in China meeting with ACFTU members, said, 
"I think what happens to Chinese unions will have a huge impact on what
kind of global wages and benefits workers everywhere make. You're
seeing growing unrest among workers, a more aggressive ACFTU and 
I think a lot of that will be focused on foreign-owned enterprises."

The federation's drive is part of an effort by China's leaders to
focus on the plight of China's low-wage migrant workers, many of whom
operate in poor working conditions with delayed wages. These problems
are generating social unrest and have encouraged the rise of some
independent trade unions in some of China's major manufacturing
zones, which China's central government is anxious to prevent.
[Organized Workers]

Although the ACFTU isn't a government entity, it is an umbrella body
for unions backed by the government and has ties to the Communist
Party. ACFTU head Wang Zhaoguo is a member of the party's Central
Committee Politburo. Union officials describe the ACFTU as a union
with "Chinese characteristics," whereby trade unions mediate between
employer and employee to promote harmonious relationships.

Critics charge the union is more concerned with helping China's
leaders control employees than in helping workers. The ACFTU's
current push, they say, is largely motivated by a drive to shore up
membership dues. In past years, membership has fallen as state-owned
enterprises -- the ACFTU's traditional base -- downsized as China's
economy shifted to a capitalist model.

The ACFTU is on track to meet its target of getting 60% of foreign
companies in China to unionize by the end of this year, officials
say. The union has seen an unprecedented 6% rise in membership in 
the first six months of the year to 160.32 million members, with 2.58
million new members working with foreign companies.

During Mr. Stern's visit, organizers from the SEIU and the ACFTU
shared strategies, and the two sides talked about developing national
agreements with companies rather than local contracts. "We'd rather
have their wages come up, rather than American wages go down," he
said, adding that the SEIU will continue to build its relationship
with the Chinese union.

Companies that have recently unionized in China include Nestlà SA,
General Semiconductor Inc. and British do-it-yourself chain B&Q PLC,
the ACFTU said. Under Chinese law, employers can't prevent their
workers from forming officially sanctioned unions if they wish to do
so.

The measures employed by the ACFTU to organize Wal-Mart included
mobilizing the support of local governments and promising Wal-Mart's
workers that the ACFTU would help them find replacement jobs if they
encountered reprisals.

Wal-Mart spokesman Jonathan Dong said company policy respects 
Chinese laws and the wishes of its employees.

-- Sue Feng in Beijing, Kris Maher in Pittsburgh and Christopher
Lawton in San Francisco contributed to this article.




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