Emily SchmallSeptember 4, 2012 06:20

MEDRANO, Argentina — In an age of corporate-scale agriculture, a winemakers' association called Viñasol is rewarded for its egalitarian labor system with a fair trade logo that allow it to charge a premium for its wine and grapes.

Lonmin killings test South African democracy

Alex Duval SmithSeptember 2, 2012 16:30

CAPE TOWN, South Africa — In the grim, dusty platinum belt north of Johannesburg, locals have been displaced, had their farmland taken away and seen jobs being offered mainly to migrant laborers.

Government crackdown on labor groups worsens in South China

Michael Standaert September 2, 2012 09:00

SHENZHEN, China — At least a dozen labor NGOs have suffered forced evictions or have had to close offices in the city of Shenzhen in southern China, after their landlords came under pressure from unknown higher authorities in what the groups say is a series of crackdowns that started late last year.  

Caterpillar sets tough precedent in beating Illinois strike

Stephen FranklinSeptember 1, 2012 06:00

JOLIET, Ill. —  Traditionally, US companies have fought for wage and benefits concessions from their workers only when facing hard times. But Caterpillar has broken that pattern since the 1990s, saying that as global competitor it needs to bring higher-paid factory workers in North America down from their pedestals.

US electronics industry feels heat on conflict minerals

Alex PearlmanAugust 16, 2012 06:00

Years after the first reports that rare minerals like coltan, essential to the manufacture of electronic goods including cell phones and video game consoles, could be funding a war in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), some of the world’s electronics giants have changed the way they do business.

Inspecting the Inspectors: Walmart and Chiquita immune to labor oversight in Honduras

John OtisAugust 15, 2012 06:00

SAN PEDRO SULA, Honduras — If you’ve ever wondered why conditions for legions of Latin American workers are so bad, it helps to spend time with the front-line officials keeping tabs on abusive employers.

Damming the future? Livelihoods at stake on Mekong River

Samantha PageJuly 25, 2012 06:00

NONGKHAI PROVINCE, Thailand and XAYABURI PROVINCE, Laos — The 1260-megawatt Xayaburi is the first of 11 proposed mainstream dams that will affect agriculture, fishing and cultural heritage all along the Mekong River.

John OtisJuly 23, 2012 16:51

Rethinking work: Reporting Latin American labor abuses

Workers in peril are rarely covered but their struggles offer important context.

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Eusebio Rodriguez, a co-op worker, gathers clusters of palm fruit on a plantation near Puente Sogamoso, Colombia. He earns about $15 a day but would like to join a union to receive better pay and benefits. (John Otis/GlobalPost)

BOGOTA, Colombia — The best thing about being a US journalist in Latin America is that you gain perspective.

When things go wrong, the woe-is-me navel gazing usually lasts only until my next reporting assignment when I invariably meet someone with real problems.

Mexico City: A union dismantled, with gruesome results

Simeon TegelJuly 20, 2012 06:00

MEXICO CITY — For Daniel Vazquez, who had worked at the state-owned electricity company for 22 years, the sight of dozens of heavily armed federal police officers decked out in full riot gear herding his coworkers from their stations at gunpoint was unnerving.

Alex PearlmanJuly 13, 2012 06:19

Working conditions in Bangladesh worry US importers

Fires, abuse, and assassinations have some American companies reconsidering Bangladesh. But will it do any good?

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Garment workers were detained and at least 100 people were injured after riots in May. Labor unions caused hundreds of factories to be shut down after protests aimed at dysfunctional factories rocked Bangladesh. (MUNIR UZ ZAMAN/AFP/Getty Images)

The unsolved April murder of Aminul Islam, a Bangladeshi labor leader, along with a host of other unsavory issues within the garment manufacturing sector, has US companies worried about using Bangladeshi labor, said the US ambassador to Bangladesh on Wednesday.