Dem's minimum wage bill will help end slave labor in Saipan

Thanks to the second bill in the Democrats' 100-hour agenda, the days of sweatshops on the Marianas Islands are numbered.

Tom DeLay was famous for helping found the "K-Street Project."  But most progressive activists will remember him as the key protector of a policy that allowed sweatshop conditions to continue on a number of American colonies in the pacific.  But this week, historic language was put into the House version of the minimum wage bill that forces American companies in American colonies increase pay.

Back in 1996, Tom DeLay helped defeat the drive to end sweatshop conditions in the Northern Marianas Islands -- conditions that protected the Saipan government's selling of Mongolian women into the life of slave prostitution and forced abortions.  So who was the lobbyist that influenced Mr. DeLay to prevent such human rights laws from being enacted?  Why, none other than lobbyist Jack Abramoff, who was hired by the Saipan government to prevent the U.S. Congress from changing labor laws.

During one visit to Saipan in an effort to downplay the human rights abuses, DeLay praised their government:

"You represent everything that is good aboutwhat we are trying to do in America," DeLay said at the time to hisaudience, which included Saipan officials and factory owners.

Thankfully, this era will come to an end once the minimum wage bill passes the Senate, and is signed into law by President Bush.  Rep. George Miller (D-CA) has been fighting DeLay on this issue for the past decade, and is overjoyed by the end result:

"I first tried to increase the minimum wage in the Northern Marianasbeginning in 1997 and practically every year since then. But at everyturn, the needs and rights of workers in foreign-owned sweatshops inthe CNMI were trampled by the lobbyist Jack Abramoff and his Republicanallies in Congress, including now former Majority Leader Tom DeLay,"Rep. Miller said.

As far as DeLay is concerned, he now has a D.C. job that will help him lobby on behalf of other conservative causes.

Comments

[Angelo]

The Dems don't need to act on this. All of the factories will close within the year with or without their intervention. They're all moving back to China where conditions are worse and wages are lower.

Thanks, Walmart!

[julian]

Thank God for the Dem's victory last November, the day of perpetual indentured servants in the Marianas will be over soon. The different ethnic groups that make up the CNMI will have equal political right. I hope the Dems will open up an investigation on Abramoff-Delay connection to that island. We need this to indict more repugs in Congress.