BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//events.la.psu.edu//EN CALSCALE:GREGORIAN BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:America/New_York BEGIN:STANDARD DTSTART:20201101T020000 TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 RRULE:FREQ=YEARLY;BYMONTH=11;BYDAY=1SU END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT DTSTART:20200308T020000 TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 RRULE:FREQ=YEARLY;BYMONTH=3;BYDAY=2SU END:DAYLIGHT END:VTIMEZONE BEGIN:VEVENT UID:12538-898307eff7e42639454d9d1767823f83@events.la.psu.edu DTSTAMP:20260601T212907Z DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20130320T130000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20130320T130000 SUMMARY:Symposium for Global Workers’ Rights: Patterns of Exclusion, Possibiliti es for Change DESCRIPTION:\nWithout doubt\, for the world’s workers\, the globalizatio n project has brought about a weakening of employment protections and a growing trend towards precarious work. On the one hand\, we see multinat ional companies and their local firm competitors increasingly looking to “externalize” or subcontract labor as a means of lowering their wage co sts and reducing the capacity for worker organization. On the other hand \, we see national states clamoring to create more “cost competitive” la bor markets\, as a means of enticing foreign investment\; in the process \, already inadequate national systems of labor legislation are further hollowed out as a way of avoiding supposed market rigidities. Workers an d labor unions\, in the process\, are left to delineate new strategies a nd forms of organization that can offer more guarantees and protections in the face of the capital and state assault on worker rights.\n\nMeanwh ile\, discrimination in low-wage job markets has pushed female\, indigen ous\, and other racial minority heads-of-households and their families i nto a dangerous circle of poverty\, which often implicitly leads to furt her socio-political exclusion. Furthermore\, the mounting scope and span of the informal economy and other forms of precarious employment has le ft increasing numbers of families separated from formal systems of socia l protection. Unstable\, casual employment may in fact be considered the new norm for millions of people around the globe who work daily outside the reach of labor law\, the safeguards of labor unions\, the programs of non-governmental monitors\, and the purview of academics concerned wi th workers’ welfare.\n\nThis symposium sought to address the multiple pr oblems that face workers as a result of their exclusion from formal\, st eady\, and dignified work. The aim of the event was to discuss past\, pr esent\, and future potentials and examples which push for more stable an d better remunerated employment and for novel and practical ways in whic h workers can and have effectively fought for their own empowerment\, bo th at work and within the broader spaces of the polity. Topics for discu ssion included: The impact of racial\, cultural\, gender\, and sexual di scrimination on informal job arrangements and wider life possibilities\; particular vulnerabilities facing migrant or immigrant laborers\, inclu ding dubious legal\, social\, and economic status\; and the power defere ntial between workers in the Global North and South given continuing ten sions associated with the opportunities or scope available to national d evelopment plans.\n\nThe symposium grappled with the growing degree of w orker insecurity in the contemporary global political economy. Participa nts were asked to consider how best to confront and overcome worker-abso rbed risks\, along with the precarious future affected individuals and t heir families face around the globe\, through worker organization and po licy reforms.\n\nFor more details: https://events.la.psu.edu/event/sympo sium-for-global-workers-rights/ X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:

Without doubt, for the world’s workers, the globalization project has brought about a w eakening of employment protections and a growing trend towards precariou s work. On the one hand, we see multinational companies and their local firm competitors increasingly looking to “externalize” or subcontract la bor as a means of lowering their wage costs and reducing the capacity fo r worker organization. On the other hand, we see national states clamori ng to create more “cost competitive” labor markets, as a means of entici ng foreign investment; in the process, already inadequate national syste ms of labor legislation are further hollowed out as a way of avoiding su pposed market rigidities. Workers and labor unions, in the process, are left to delineate new strategies and forms of organization that can offe r more guarantees and protections in the face of the capital and state a ssault on worker rights.

Meanwhile, discrimination in low-wage job markets has pushed female, indigenous, and other racial minority heads- of-households and their families into a dangerous circle of poverty, whi ch often implicitly leads to further socio-political exclusion. Furtherm ore, the mounting scope and span of the informal economy and other forms of precarious employment has left increasing numbers of families separa ted from formal systems of social protection. Unstable, casual employmen t may in fact be considered the new norm for millions of people around t he globe who work daily outside the reach of labor law, the safeguards o f labor unions, the programs of non-governmental monitors, and the purvi ew of academics concerned with workers’ welfare.

This symposium so ught to address the multiple problems that face workers as a result of t heir exclusion from formal, steady, and dignified work. The aim of the e vent was to discuss past, present, and future potentials and examples wh ich push for more stable and better remunerated employment and for novel and practical ways in which workers can and have effectively fought for their own empowerment, both at work and within the broader spaces of th e polity. Topics for discussion included: The impact of racial, cultural , gender, and sexual discrimination on informal job arrangements and wid er life possibilities; particular vulnerabilities facing migrant or immi grant laborers, including dubious legal, social, and economic status; an d the power deferential between workers in the Global North and South gi ven continuing tensions associated with the opportunities or scope avail able to national development plans.

The symposium grappled with th e growing degree of worker insecurity in the contemporary global politic al economy. Participants were asked to consider how best to confront and overcome worker-absorbed risks, along with the precarious future affect ed individuals and their families face around the globe, through worker organization and policy reforms.

For more details: https:// events.la.psu.edu/event/symposium-for-global-workers-rights/

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