General Mills, Walmart, Whole Foods, General Motors, and Fruit of the Loom. These are just a few of the brand names mentioned in The New York Times’ exposé on illegal child labor in our “new economy of exploitation.” Inside the plants that make the products of these and many other huge brand-name corporations, migrant children are toiling in grueling jobs, often working full time on overnight shifts running industrial machinery.
Large corporations will often say they shouldn’t be held responsible for working conditions they do not know about or directly control. However, they undeniably have power and leverage over their contractors and suppliers and can set and control labor standards through their contracts.
