Forum Post: Demand a Global Minimum Wage

As long as corporations can exploit the poorest nation in the world, labor will never again provide livable, reliable salaries in any country. We should demand a global minimum wage and a global set of worker's rights. All it would take is for a few of the world's largest economies to ban all products that are manufactured in whole or in part using sub-minimum wage labor or by violating worker's rights (e.g. safety standards, environmental standards, 40 hours work week, etc.).

I'm not sure about what numbers would be reasonable, but I will throw out some numbers just as an example. Perhaps we could set an international minimum of $2/hour, which would be a significant raise for the many people who make $1/day or less. That still allows the poorest countries to compete and grow their economy. Beyond the general base, a local minimum wage can be computed using portfolio of basic necessities. It could be tied to things like the local cost of 1000 gallons of running water, cost of 100 pounds of grain, cost of a 2 bedroom house, etc. By tying it to necessities, it ensures a living wage in that location.