An American Corporation Outsourcing At The Pennsylvania...

Mark Anner, Associate Professor of Labor and Employment Relations at the Pennsylvania State University, has written perhaps the most persuasive piece of literature on the reasons for the lack of progress in workers’ rights for employees of independent contractors hired in the process of an American corporation outsourcing to another nation. Before the Rana Plaza Factory Fire in 2012 and currently still, most of the CSR models focused on voluntary codes of conduct which allowed corporations to adopt for publicity purposes, yet not fulfill the responsibilities of those agreements, without facing any consequences. These programs of CSR are extremely unsuccessful, as most factories and independent contractors cut corners to pass inspections†¦show more content†¦However, after the Rana Plaza Factory Fire, major retailers such as HM, Zara, Tommy Hilfiger, and Calvin Klein entered into an agreement with UNI and IndustriALL, two global union federations in order to ensure saf ety for their workers abroad. The signing of this Accord places retailers and branded corporations at the top of the entities with obligations to its workers below. â€Å"This Accord imposes on these buyers substantive obligations – most notably, financial obligations to help suppliers pay for safety upgrades, such as the installation of fire exits, or, in the case of structurally unsound buildings, major repairs while guaranteeing the payment of workers’ salaries for time lost at work.† Anner and his peers find this Accord to be the first of many promising and successful steps towards ending these tragedies. However, I found that contrary to what the media and these retailers may publicize, this accord applies to Bangladesh only. Many of these corporations have factories within India, China, and Pakistan as well that are not affected by this agreement. Although this may be one attempt at solving the problems of global outsourcing, it does not reach far enough . After voicing his thoughts and hopes on the future accomplishments of the Accord, Anner then introduces another reason for why many current CSR models have not been as successful as originally projected. He states that buyers need to play a bigger role in pushing for corporate responsibility and he