Midterm Research-Argument Essay Assignment

The topic of my midterm assignment is the antisweatshop movement. The main thesis of my argument is that the antisweatshop movement has in the past and continues to force multinational corporations to impose labor standards and workplace rules that are more compliant with the labor rules that exist in this country. What began as a movement to protest against labor practices in third world countries by multinational corporations has expanded into a global movement against unfair labor practices by corporations arounf the world.
My sources for the paper will primarily be articles written in professional and policy journals from 2001 to the present. These include Development in Pratice, Review of Radical Political Economics, Global Social Policy and Dissent. I will also utilize some mainstream articles from sources such as the Wall Street Journal and news television stations such as CNN.
The intent of this paper will be to persuade the reader that the antisweatshop movement is neccessary to force corporations to institute more humane labor practices and that without the antisweatshop movement corporations have little or no incentive to change. Protest movements have long championed the right of an individual to be treated fairly. Civil rights, abortion, the right to vote, education are just a few of the areas where protest movements have played a significant role and caused positive change. This movement is no different. The paper will also explore the relationships the movement has with goverments, labor unions and non-govermental organizations (NGO's) around the world and why they have crucial for past successes and remain critical for the future. I will also address the fact that in the end it is the consumer that is the ultimate protester and that if consumers would not buy products made in sweatshops, corporations would be forced to change their labor practices.