One ring to rule them all and …

Here in the U.S., we sometimes complain about Walmart’s low wages and poor benefits. In China, one trade union rules them all, the ACFTU: All-China Federation of Trade Union, a sanctioned arm of the leaders in Beijing, that takes its marching orders from the Communist Party. We should remember that the party sets minimum wage. The party controls the workers. The party is everywhere, everything.

The ACFTU is intent upon bringing 70 million additional workers under its fold.

The ACFTU apparently is also concerned about protecting the rights of labor.

For instance, the Wal-Mart unions in Fuzhou, capital of Fujian Province, impressed upon the management to raise part-time workers’ wages to 6 yuan (75 US cents) an hour, that is, above the city’s minimum wage of 5.5 yuan.

Of course, 75 cents an hour would not go far in the U.S. A Walmart worker in the U.S. making 75 cents/hour would not be rich enough to shop at Walmart, a fact that raises a lot of questions.