July 30, 2024

Good morning. Today, we're covering the rules that allow labor abuses to flourish overseas — as well as Supreme Court reform, Israel and speed puzzling.

A woman in bright yellow pants strains to lift a large bundle of freshly cut sugar cane in a field.

In Pawarwadi, India. Saumya Khandelwal for The New York Times

Serious labor abuses

By Megha Rajagopalan

I'm an investigative reporter based in London.

In the 1990s, more U.S. companies began manufacturing abroad, where labor was cheaper. But soon, they had a problem. Journalists, consumers and human rights groups noticed that, away from the eyes of American unions and regulators, these multinationals sometimes used brutal cost-saving measures, such as sweat shops and child labor.

Executives — in garments, mining and agriculture, for instance — found a solution. Companies would hire outside inspectors to scrutinize their supply chains. These inspectors would visit their suppliers' factories, investigate abuses and determine whether everyone was following the rules. Major companies signed on, sending a message that they could clean up their own supply chains. There was no need, they argued, for governments to intervene.

But my reporting over the last year has shown how flawed these audits can be. I visited sugar mills in India, the world's second-largest producer, that supply multinational companies. Their sugar sweetens cans of Coke and cups of tea. In the state of Maharashtra, I met dozens of women who were pushed to have hysterectomies, often as a consequence of routine gynecological problems made worse by an absence of bathrooms, menstrual products and running water in the fields. Sometimes they borrowed money for the surgery from their employers, who forced them and their families to pay it back through more work.

Many farm laborers also said the contractors who hired them had saddled them with enormous debt — for salary advances, health care and other costs — that would prevent them from ever leaving their jobs. Women described working in the fields as children. Our photographer, Saumya Khandelwal, saw kids cutting cane. The Times published my investigation into these farms this morning.

In today's newsletter, I'll explain why, despite some scrutiny, serious labor abuses still lurk in major companies' supply chains.

A cursory inspection

Most major companies have policies that ban labor and environmental abuses. To enforce them, they rely on a process known as social auditing. Factories pay social auditors to visit for a few days, during which they look at corporate paperwork and interview workers and managers. These observers look for anything that might be amiss: unsanitary work stations, underpaid or underage employees, illegal chemicals, unsafe conditions.

The problem is that auditors only capture a small period of time, and factories usually know they are coming. So managers have a chance to temporarily clean things up — and to stage-manage the interviews. Sugar mill executives also told me they steer auditors to farms that have the fewest problems. "Sometimes audits can act as subterfuge," said Justine Nolan, the director of the Australian Human Rights Institute. "They can hide the real problems or give a sense that everything is fine without actually delving into what's going on in this factory or field."

In today's story, I reported on the nonprofit Bonsucro, which certifies farms and sugar mills as being free of labor and environmental abuses. An auditor working for Bonsucro told me that, in two years, she had found no abuses at any of the sugar mills and farms she had examined in Maharashtra. We interviewed sugar cane cutters for those mills who told us many stories about how they'd been mistreated.

Bonsucro counts major corporations among its members, including Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, Unilever and General Mills. These brands use certifications like Bonsucro's to reassure consumers that the products they buy are ethically made.

Cracks in the system

Problems like these are not unique to India. Social auditors around the world depend on the access they get from factories, which have few incentives to open up. Companies seek to profit and serve their shareholders first. They worry that oversight and regulation could raise costs.

What's more, auditors like Bonsucro are beholden to the companies that hire them. Their members can vote on what they do and don't do. They're not allowed to publish their findings.

So far, it has been tough for the U.S. government to police overseas supply chains. American companies can't import goods made with forced labor, but there are many other abusive practices abroad about which the U.S. law says nothing.

The European Union hopes a new directive will force large companies to rid their supply chains of human rights abuses. But, for now, these abuses aren't going anywhere — and the system meant to catch them lacks teeth.

For more: Read my story about the labor practices that social auditors miss.

THE LATEST NEWS

2024 Elections

Gov. Roy Cooper speaking at a podium in front of a backdrop supporting the Biden-Harris campaign.

Gov. Roy Cooper of North Carolina. Erin Schaff/The New York Times

Roy Cooper, North Carolina's Democratic governor, withdrew from consideration to become Kamala Harris's running mate.
Two other governors — Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan and Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania — campaigned for Harris. "I want to look the 47th president of the United States in the eye and say, 'Madam President,'" Shapiro said.
Governing experience, geographic advantages and fund-raising chops: Here's what Harris may be looking for in a vice president.
Donald Trump and his allies are resurfacing progressive stances Harris took when she ran for president in 2020.
"Failed. Weak. Dangerously Liberal": Trump's first major attack ad against Harris focused on immigration and claimed she was responsible for millions of border crossings.
In Silicon Valley, the election has pitted tech billionaires who support Trump against those who support Harris.
The Justice Department plans to monitor today's House and Senate primary elections in Arizona to safeguard voters' rights.

Supreme Court

President Biden proposed changes to the Supreme Court. He said the justices had undermined civil rights protections with "extreme" rulings on issues including voting rights and abortion.
Biden called for 18-year terms for the justices, a binding ethics code and a constitutional amendment to limit the court's recent ruling on presidential immunity.
The proposals require congressional approval. The House speaker, Mike Johnson, called the plan "dead on arrival."
If the changes were adopted, presidents would appoint a new justice every two years. If that had happened in recent decades, today's court would have six liberal justices and three conservatives, rather than the opposite.

The Trump Shooting

Trump agreed to an interview with the F.B.I. as part of the investigation into the assassination attempt against him.
House leaders appointed 13 lawmakers to investigate the shooting. One of the Republican members has spread conspiracy theories about the Jan. 6 Capitol attack.

Middle East

A group of people all wearing black stand near burned-out bikes at the side of damaged railings near a soccer field.

In northern Israel. Avishag Shaar-Yashuv for The New York Times

"Our response is coming, and it will be severe," Benjamin Netanyahu said after a rocket attack in Israel near the border with Lebanon killed 12 children.
The Israeli military detained nine reservists over the suspected sexual abuse of a Palestinian detainee. Crowds supporting the reservists broke into two military bases in protest.
Junior congressional staff members created a website where they can anonymously publish memos criticizing U.S. policy toward Israel.

More International News

Protesters, including one holding a Venezuelan flag and one with a raised fist, in a city street with houses on a hill behind them.

In Caracas, Venezuela. Alejandro Cegarra for The New York Times

The U.S. and several Latin American countries said that Venezuela's president, Nicolás Maduro, could not claim victory in last weekend's election without releasing the full vote count.
Ukraine, after months of fighting, recently lost two villages in the southeast to Russia. The Times pieced together the loss in conversations with Ukrainian soldiers.
Two children were killed and another nine were wounded, along with two adults, in a knife attack at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in northern England. The police arrested a 17-year-old on suspicion of murder and attempted murder.

MORNING READS

Tourists crowd the sidewalks and streets of Times Square.

In Times Square. Paola Chapdelaine for The New York Times

Street wars: Using data on benches and trash cans — as well as people — a researcher measured just how claustrophobic New York City sidewalks are.

Ask Vanessa: "Why does my teenager insist on wearing used clothes?"

Wildlife: A crisis for vultures in India led to more than half a million excess human deaths, a study found.

Swish, spit, repeat: Proponents of oil pulling say it can reduce cavities and whiten teeth. Dental professionals are skeptical.

Lives Lived: Francine Pascal conjured up a literary universe among the blue-eyed cheerleaders and square-jawed jocks of suburban Los Angeles, most notably in her best-selling "Sweet Valley High" series of young-adult novels. She died at 92.

OLYMPICS

Stephen Nedoroscik, with one hand on a pommel horse and the other stretched out wide, turns almost upside down during a routine at a packed stadium.

Stephen Nedoroscik Abbie Parr/Associated Press

Men's gymnastics: The U.S. team earned bronze in the team all-around final. The pommel horse specialist Stephen Nedoroscik delivered in his biggest moment.

Women's gymnastics: Simone Biles and Jordan Chiles will lead the U.S. in today's team final, competing in all four events.

Basketball: The U.S. women's team, led by Breanna Stewart and A'ja Wilson, defeated Japan. Read a recap.

Tennis: Novak Djokovic defeated his longtime rival Rafael Nadal in straight sets.

Swimming: Two elite Chinese swimmers who tested positive for steroids in 2022 were cleared by the Chinese authorities, who concluded that they could have ingested the drug unwittingly when they ate hamburgers.

Science: See the delicate mechanics behind six Olympic events, including weight lifting and trampoline.

Winning: Who leads the medal count? It depends how much you value a gold. This tool from The Upshot breaks it down.

ARTS AND IDEAS

A person's hands work on a section of a jigsaw puzzle on a table with other pieces scattered all around.

Is that a side piece? Hannah Cauhepe for The New York Times

This year, in a Spanish city, speed puzzlers from 75 countries will race to complete puzzles for a modest cash prize and bragging rights. Puzzling has been around for more than 250 years, but the competition — the World Jigsaw Puzzle Championship, started in 2019 — has renewed its popularity. Read about the tournament, and the competitors' most common strategies.

More on culture

The Irish author Edna O'Brien, who died last week, provided "searing portraits of an oppressive, violent society seen through the prism of female friendship," Lucy Scholes writes.
Many Russian artists who oppose the war in Ukraine have been driven into exile. Those who remain are compelled to echo the government's nationalist zeal, The Washington Post reports.
"In the span of a week, Democrats have gone from the despair of a certain Trump presidency to the joy of a statistical tie," Jon Stewart said on "The Daily Show."

THE MORNING RECOMMENDS …

A top-down image of pasta in a red sauce with vegetables and herbs.

Bryan Gardner for The New York Times

Replace beef with eggplant and mushrooms in this hearty vegetarian pasta.

Get kids excited about the Paris Games with these 11 children's books.

Watch two meteor showers reaching their peak this week.

Gift a bibliophile one of these items.

Watch the Olympics in 4K.

GAMES

Here is today's Spelling Bee. Yesterday's pangrams were arching, chagrin, chairing, charging, charring and ranching.

And here are today's Mini Crossword, Wordle, Sudoku, Connections and Strands.

Thanks for spending part of your morning with The Times. See you tomorrow.

Editor: David Leonhardt

Deputy Editor: Adam B. Kushner

News Editor: Tom Wright-Piersanti

Associate Editor: Lauren Jackson

News Staff: Desiree Ibekwe, Sean Kawasaki-Culligan, Brent Lewis, German Lopez, Ian Prasad Philbrick, Ashley Wu

News Assistant: Lyna Bentahar

Saturday Writer: Melissa Kirsch

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