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57-702: The purpose of the gathering was twofold. First, the gathering was designed to plan and build momentum for the first-ever US Social Forum . An event that was held in Atlanta , Georgia in June 2007. Second, the gathering was designed to bring together activists, organizers, indigenous people , working people, and people of color from around the Southeast United States in order to build informal and formal networks that could unite around common goals of social justice. Organizations from about 15 states were represented at

114-436: A social model of disability . Neurodiversity considerations may include people on the autism spectrum , with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), developmental coordination disorder (DCD, also known as dyspraxia) or dyslexia . There are several indices that measure labor rights produced by various organizations. Some focus on collective bargaining and freedom of association including in datasets produced by

171-489: A country's economic growth. As companies outsource their work to workers from lower-wage countries, governments will relax their regulations to attract businesses. As a result, poor countries implement a lower labor rights standard to compete with other countries. Layna Mosley 's study shows that collective labor rights have declined since the recent global expansion started. By having multiple countries sign agreements and treaties , labor rights are able to be protected across

228-467: A disciplinary process at which they have the right to be accompanied, daily breaks, rest breaks, paid holidays, and more. Aside from the right to organize, labor movements have campaigned on various other issues that may be said to relate to labor rights. The labor movement began to improve the working conditions of the workers. Dating back to 1768 the first strike of the New York journeyman tailors protested

285-538: A larger role in the 2010 Forum than at the 2007 event. People's Movement Assemblies (PMA's) are informally organized groups of activists to create and coordinate solutions to various social problems. At the 2010 US Social Forum, over 200 organizations participated in 52 PMA's of four people each. 45 resolutions for action were confirmed, adding to another 24 created before the Forum. They included an endorsement of Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions against Israel in support of

342-805: A number of alleged abuses in the United Arab Emirates ( including Dubai ). Human Rights Watch lists several problems including "nonpayment of wages, extended working hours without overtime compensation, unsafe working environments resulting in death and injury, squalid living conditions in labor camps, and withholding of passports and travel documents by employers. Despite laws against the practice, employers confiscate migrant workers' passports. Without their passports, workers cannot switch jobs or return home. These workers have little recourse for labor abuses, but conditions have been improving. Labor and social welfare minister Ali bin Abdullah al-Kaabi has undertaken

399-612: A number of reforms to help improve labor practices in his country. The United Arab Emirates was condemned in a report issued in April 2021 by the Democracy Centre for Transparency calling out the nation for its abuse and discrimination of foreigners and expatriates against Emirati citizens. According to DCT, foreigners and expatriates in the UAE are often subjected to gender and wage discrimination, racialization, trafficking, and forced labor. As per

456-588: A part of customary international law they are committed to respecting these rights. For a discussion on the incorporation of these core labor rights into the mechanisms of the World Trade Organization , see Labour standards in the World Trade Organization . There are many other issues outside of this core, in the UK employee rights include the right to employment particulars, an itemized pay statement,

513-421: A part of the union does not necessarily address all the needs of immigrant workers, and thus winning power within the union is the first step for immigrant workers to address their needs. Immigrant workers often mobilize beyond unions, by campaigning in their communities on intersectional issues of immigration, discrimination, and police misconduct. Labor unions formed throughout the industries. Labor unions in

570-584: A particular level of working conditions, wages or health and safety standards. They are not intended to undermine the comparative advantage that developing countries may hold. Core labor standards are important human rights and are recognized in widely ratified international human rights instruments including the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CROC), the most widely ratified human rights treaty with 193 parties, and

627-550: A smaller meeting of about 40 people specifically focused on planning for the 2007 US Social Forum in Atlanta . US Social Forum The United States Social Forum is an ongoing series of gatherings of social justice activists in the United States which grew out of the World Social Forum process, bringing together activists, organizers, people of color, working people, poor people, and indigenous people from across

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684-502: A society that would be ruled by the workers. Many of the social movements for the rights of the workers were associated with groups influenced by Marx such as the socialists and communists . More moderate democratic socialists and social democrats supported workers' interests as well. More recent workers' rights advocacy has focused on the particular role, exploitation, and needs of women workers, and of increasingly mobile global flows of casual, service, or guest workers. Identified by

741-413: A wage reduction. This marked the beginning of the movement. Approaching the 19th century, labor unions were formed to improve the working conditions for all of workers. They fought for better wages, reasonable hours, and safer working conditions. The labor movement led efforts to stop child labor, give health benefits, and provide aid to workers who were injured or retired. The following are explained more in

798-550: Is also seen by many as one of the workers' rights. Discrimination in the workplace is illegal in many countries, but some see the wage gap between genders and other groups as a persistent problem. Many migrant workers are not getting basic labor rights mainly because they do not speak the local language, regardless of legal status. Some have noticed that they are not getting the correct amount of money on their paycheck while others are underpaid. The National Labor Relations Act recognizes undocumented laborers as employees. However,

855-453: Is not a conference but it is a space to come up with the peoples’ solutions to the economic and ecological crisis . The USSF is the next most important step in our struggle to build a powerful multi-racial, multi-sectoral, inter-generational, diverse, inclusive, internationalist movement that transforms this country and changes history." After the 2005 World Social Forum in Porto Alegre ,

912-515: Is the provision of Statutory Maternity Pay, which ensures that a minimum payment is made during the leave period. Secondly, there is the right to maternity leave, which guarantees that women can take time off work and return to their job afterward. Additionally, women have the right to be reinstated to their original position. Finally, the EPCA has reinforced unfair dismissal rights. Legal migrant workers are sometimes abused. For instance, migrants have faced

969-539: The DRC as well as copper mining in Zambia , where children were reported to be participating in all forms of mining at the expense of their education. There is a growing concern that the rising demand for resources that involve child labor for industries such as the production of electric vehicle batteries , will only increase labor rights violations. In India and Pakistan, children work long hours in various industries because of

1026-572: The International Labour Organization (ILO) in the Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work , core labor standards are "widely recognized to be of particular importance". They are universally applicable, regardless of whether the relevant conventions have been ratified, the level of development of a country or cultural values. These standards are composed of qualitative, not quantitative, standards and do not establish

1083-770: The International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), the International Labour Organization (ILO), and Penn State . Others, such as data produced by the V-Dem Institute and UCLA 's World Policy Analysis Center focus on other components such as employment discrimination, child labor, and forced labor. The ITUC produces the Global Rights Index on an annual basis which rates "countries depending on their compliance with collective labor rights and document violations by governments and employers of internationally recognized rights." The ILO produces

1140-629: The Labadie Collection at the University of Michigan. The 2010 Forum was in Detroit , Michigan from June 22–26, in the Northwest Goldberg area. More than 20,000 attended. Detroit was chosen partly because of its activism in community building resulting from a lack of support from the U.S. federal government . Organizers hoped that half of the 15,000 participants they expected would be from

1197-510: The Midwest . Organizers planned on supporting and beautifying the neighborhood. Thousands of bicycles used during the forum were donated to the residents afterward. Some attendees bought vacant homes that were donated to a local organization after the Forum. The Detroit Liberation Library was created from hundreds of books collected from USSF participants from around the US that were later offered throughout

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1254-563: The United States . Its purpose is to build unity around common goals of social justice , build ties between organizations at the event, and help build a broader social justice movement. Planning for the first event was spearheaded by the organization Project South: Institute for the Elimination of Poverty and Genocide, and involved dozens of other organizations around the United States. The Forum defines itself as "a movement-building process. It

1311-544: The 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire . Labor advocates and other groups often criticize production facilities with poor working conditions as sweatshops and occupational health hazards and campaign for better labor practices and recognition of workers' rights throughout the world. Recent initiatives in the field of sustainability have included a focus on social sustainability , which includes promoting workers' rights and safe working conditions, prevention of human trafficking , and elimination of illegal child labor from

1368-468: The Hoffman supreme court case has primarily affected undocumented laborers by preventing them from getting backpay and/or reinstatement. While no undocumented individual is technically able to work in the United States legally, undocumented workers make up 5% of the workforce. In the U.S., people who were born outside of the country tend to work in riskier jobs and have a higher chance of encountering death on

1425-673: The ICCPR with 160 parties. They have been incorporated into different provisions that are related to labor in soft law instruments such as the UN's Global Compact, the OECD Guidelines, and the ILO MNE Declaration. The core labor standards are: Very few ILO member countries have ratified all of these conventions due to domestic constraints yet as these rights are also recognized in the UDHR, and form

1482-753: The NLRA protects undocumented workers, it protects their right to organize. However, the NLRA excludes workers that are agricultural, domestic, independent contractors, governmental, or related to their employers. The right to speak up against labor abuses was protected further by an immigration reform bill in 2013 with the POWER act, which intended to protect employees who spoke out against labor practices from facing detention or deportation. However, labor unions are not necessarily welcoming of immigrant workers. Within unions, there have been internal struggles, such as when Los Angeles immigrant janitors reorganized service workers. Being

1539-587: The Palestinian struggle. "PLG – ¡Presenté! Report from the United States Social Forum." Progressive Librarian 30. Winter 2007/2008, pp. 79–102. Labor rights Labor rights or workers' rights are both legal rights and human rights relating to labor relations between workers and employers . These rights are codified in national and international labor and employment law . In general, these rights influence working conditions in

1596-797: The US Social Forum National Planning Committee was created by the WSF's International Council designating the alliance "Grassroots Global Justice" as the core group. It includes over 45 groups who oversee the US Social Forum's fiscal and political responsibilities. The committee includes a number of big labor rights and social justice organizations, such as the AFL-CIO , Amnesty International USA , AFSCME , Center for Third World Organizing, Indigenous Environmental Network , Jubilee USA , Sociologists Without Borders . The first Forum

1653-595: The United Nations declared that children have a right to social protection. It is hard for children to fight for their basic rights, especially in the workplace. They are often under-treated. Employers take advantage of child labor because they lack the ability to bargain collectively and compromise to work at an unpleasant workplace. Almost 95% of child labor occurs in developing countries . An example of an industry in which instances of child labor lead to severe injury or death that have been noted are cobalt mining in

1710-735: The World Commission on the Social Dimension of Globalization issued a report called "A Fair Globalization: Creating Opportunities for All". The report acknowledges how potential globalization can affect labor rights. Reforming globalization will require cooperation not only within the country but also at the global level. It suggests political authorities to "renew their attention to global solidarity". Workers' rights advocates have been concerned with how globalization can impact labor rights in different countries. Some international agencies and global corporations see strong enforcement will limit

1767-570: The age of 9 could not work, children aged 9–13 could only work 8 hours a day, and children aged 14–18 could only work for 12 hours a day. Labor rights are a relatively new addition to the modern corpus of human rights. The modern concept of labor rights dates to the 19th century after the creation of labor unions following the industrialization processes. Karl Marx stands out as one of the earliest and most prominent advocates for workers' rights. His philosophy and economic theory focused on labor issues and advocates his economic system of socialism ,

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1824-571: The city. The Forum's supporters were encouraged to create People's Movement Assemblies in their own communities. Activists participated in more than 1,000 self-organized workshops. One of the most popular events was a conversation between Grace Lee Boggs and Immanuel Wallerstein . Thousands of Forum participants marched to occupy Chase Bank Detroit headquarters, resulting in a national Chase Bank official speaking with church leaders in Detroit about foreclosures. Progressive religious groups played

1881-528: The company responsible for managing the pavilion representing Germany at the Expo 2020 reportedly signed an agreement with the Emirati Transguard Group for laundry, cleaning, and security services. Rights groups claim that during the signing of a framework agreement between the two firms, evidence assuring human rights due diligence was overlooked. It is said that the firm withheld the passports and wages of

1938-560: The crafts discovered difficulty in forming labor unions at different skill levels. These skill groups often got divided into racial and sexist ways. In 1895, the white-only International Association of Machinists affiliated with the American Federation of Labor (AFL), which was founded in 1881. Entering the 20th century African Americans moved from the South into the North only to find that there

1995-403: The data for Sustainable Development Goal 8.8.2, which measures the "Level of national compliance with labor rights (freedom of association and collective bargaining) based on International Labour Organization (ILO) textual sources and national legislation, by sex and migrant status. In the past, Penn State's Center for Global Workers’ Rights has produced a set of labor rights indicators which use

2052-512: The debt their parents incurred. Poor families sometimes rely on their kids' income to pay bills. In Egypt, about 1.5 million kids under 14 years old are working even though there are child-protective labor laws. In the United States, the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (FLSA) restricts the employment of children. The FLSA defines the minimum age for employment to 14 years for non-agricultural jobs with restrictions on hours, restricts

2109-404: The elderly and handicapped and more. People who are neurodivergent present distinct issues in labor rights. They may individually or as a demographic have occupational preferences or requests for accommodation which differ from neurotypical workers. While some neurodivergent people may need workplace support in a medical model of disability , other people may only want cultural understanding in

2166-539: The event. The Southeast Social Forum grew out of the World Social Forum process that began in Porto Alegre , Brazil , in 2001. Between 2001 and 2006, the Social Forum process had spread to numerous countries around the world. However, some organizers in the World Social Forum process had felt that the United States was not ready for a Social Forum—although this belief was contested, and ultimately disproven by

2223-597: The event. Much of the planning for the event outside of North Carolina took place in Atlanta, where efforts were spearheaded by Project South. Organizers frequently rejected the designations "event" and "conference" for the gathering, stating that the Southeast Social Forum is most appropriately considered a step in the process of movement-building. About 5% of the gathering's attendees spoke Spanish but not English, and translation services were provided at most points in

2280-557: The extra hours are payable overtime . In the European Union the working week is limited to a maximum of 48 hours including overtime (see also Working Time Directive 2003 ). Labor rights advocates have worked to improve workplace conditions that meet established standards. During the Progressive Era , the United States began workplace reforms, which received publicity boosts from Upton Sinclair 's The Jungle and events such as

2337-529: The following sections. Many labor movement campaigns have to do with limiting hours in the workplace. 19th century labor movements campaigned for an eight-hour day . Worker advocacy groups have also sought to limit work hours, making a working week of 40 hours or less standard in many countries. A 35-hour workweek was established in France in 2000, although this standard has been considerably weakened since then. Workers may agree with employers to work for longer, but

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2394-707: The globe. However, some countries sign it even though they are not planning to follow the rules. Therefore, there might be room for labor rights practices to suffer. However, some argued that globalization can improve labor rights enforcement by responding to other country's demands. Governments will act in their national interests, so when an important trading country urges for strong labor rights enforcement, they will act accordingly. Labor rights advocates have also worked to combat child labor . They see child labor as exploitative, and often economically damaging. Child labor opponents often argue that working children are deprived of an education. In 1948 and then again in 1989,

2451-459: The hours for youth under the age of 16, and prohibits the employment of children under the age of 18 in occupations deemed hazardous by the Secretary of Labor. In 2007, Massachusetts updated its child labor laws that required all minors to have work permits. The Employment Protection Consolidation Act (EPCA) has established four fundamental regulations for women's employment rights. Firstly, there

2508-413: The job. The low-wage sectors, which many undocumented people work in, have the highest rates of wage and hour violation. Estimates claim that 31% of undocumented people work in service jobs. Restaurant work in particular has a 12% rate of undocumented workers. Undocumented people can and have joined labor unions, and are even credited by a 2008 dissertation for "reinvigorating" the labor movement. Because

2565-481: The leaders of the revolt, John Ball , famously argued that people were born equal saying, "When Adam delved and Eve span, who was then the gentleman?" Laborers often appealed to traditional rights. For instance, English peasants fought against the enclosure movement , which took traditionally communal lands and made them private. The British Parliament passed the Factory Act 1833 which stated that children under

2622-540: The minimum wage. However, opponents see minimum wage laws as limiting employment opportunities for unskilled and entry-level workers. The benefits and costs of foreign direct investments on labor rights are often argued. Payton and Woo's study shows that even though "workers may not see drastic increases in minimum wages but they will benefit marginally from better enforcement of existing minimum wage laws or other protections granted in law, gradually improving overall working conditions, as more FDI flows in." In March 2004,

2679-418: The program for these attendees. While foundations supplied some support for the event, nearly all of the work that went into the process was done by volunteers. The event included workshops and plenary sessions dealing with topics such as building alliances among groups, combatting white supremacy, organizing against corporate globalization, and many other topics. The 3-day gathering was followed on June 19 by

2736-632: The relations of employment. One of the most prominent is the right to freedom of association , otherwise known as the right to organize . Workers organized in trade unions exercise the right to collective bargaining to improve working conditions. Throughout history, workers claiming some sort of right have attempted to pursue their interests. During the Middle Ages , the Peasants' Revolt in England expressed demand for better wages and working conditions. One of

2793-596: The research conducted by the DCT, these issues remain unreported due to the threat and intimidation from their employers in the form of job loss or fabricated criminal charges. The discrimination and abuse have reportedly continued despite the easing of the Kafala system in the Emirate. The DCT concluded its report urging the UAE to address the issues and put an end to the racial hierarchy and discrimination against non-citizens. Koelnmesse,

2850-550: The success of the Boston Social Forum in July 2004. It was eventually decided that there was a definite need to begin a national Social Forum process in the US, since many social justice activists believe that the world's most serious social problems are being continually worsened by the policies of the US government and US companies. The US Social Forum in Atlanta was originally slated for 2006, but following Hurricane Katrina , it

2907-539: The supreme court case Hoffman Plastic Compounds, Inc. v. NLRB established that backpay could not be awarded to unlawfully fired undocumented employees due to the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 . In this court decision, it was also stated that the U.S. would support FLSA and MSPA , without regard to whether or not someone is documented. Undocumented workers also still have legal protection against discrimination based on national origin. The decision of

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2964-712: The sustainably sourced products and services. Organizations such as the U.S. Department of Labor and Department of State have released studies on products that have been identified as using child labor and industries using or funded by human trafficking. Labor rights are defined internationally by sources such as the Norwegian Agency for Public Management and eGovernment (DIFI) and the International Finance Corporation performance standards. The labor movement pushes for guaranteed minimum wage laws, and there are continuing negotiations about increases to

3021-436: The workers earning relatively lesser than the minimum wage and terminated them from the service without notice. In neighboring countries such as Qatar, there is a similar problem. Qatar has received a lot of criticism over the way it treats its workers, including those that have worked on FIFA World Cup projects. The right to equal treatment, regardless of gender , origin and appearance, religion , sexual orientation ,

3078-534: Was discrimination in economic opportunities. Racial stereotypes were used to divide the working class and create segregation. This eventually led to the creation of black codes and Jim Crow laws to limit the ability of African Americans to create a living for themselves. The Jim Crow laws passed in the 1800s were laws that forbade African Americans from living in white neighborhoods, along with segregation in public places. these were enforced for public pools, phone booths, hospitals, asylums, jails and residential homes for

3135-680: Was in Atlanta , Georgia , USA from June 27 – July 1, 2007. Planning began in 2005. In June 2006, the Southeast Social Forum was in Durham , North Carolina ; one of its priorities was to plan for and build momentum for the US Social Forum. On June 27, the opening march began at the Georgia State Capitol and ended at the Atlanta Civic Center . Organizers hoped for at least 10,000 people; about 15,000 attended. The Forum's goal

3192-598: Was moved to 2007 and organizers decided that a 2006 gathering would take place somewhere in the Southeast to help build momentum toward the 2007 event. Atlanta, Knoxville, and Durham were considered as sites for the 2006 meeting. A group of organizers in Durham agreed to commit to help host the event. This group, which became known as the North Carolina Local Host Committee, met from January to June 2006 to plan

3249-558: Was to help build a movement that would end harmful US practices against all people by helping coordinate local activists into a nationwide movement. This took shape as the National Domestic Workers Alliance, a group working for a Domestic Worker's Bill of Rights in various states. Activist librarians from the Progressive Librarians Guild and Radical Reference collected materials that were sent to

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