This letter features reporting from "China: The Human Cost of Doing Business" by Loretta Tofani
Dear Senator Ossoff,
I am Alex Rosenberg, a citizen of Georgia, and I am writing to you because Chinese factory workers are getting cancer and deadly diseases due to making products for Americans. Hazards and toxic chemicals are found or exist in a ton of popular items such as furniture, shoes, clothes, and electronics. Interviews with workers confirm this. This means that workers are exposed to hazardous working conditions almost all the time. “China: The Human Cost of Doing Business” by Loretta Tofani states that worker health and safety are supposed to be basic human rights, not just a privilege, as spelled out in the 3rd and 23rd rights of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. If this is considered a right, every worker in the world should be protected from harm or danger when they go to work. The article goes on to say that at least 200 million of 700 million workers of China's laborers were consistently exposed to toxic chemicals and life-threatening diseases in factories. In other terms, almost a third of China’s workers do hazardous work in hazardous conditions. Senator Ossoff, I think that we can make a change to this!
To start, dangerous and hazardous labor enforcements impact Chinese factory workers and migrant workers in Georgia in similar forms. Workers usually work without the basic rights of breaks, food and water, as well as earning bad wages (an estimated 26% receive less than minimum wage) and experiencing wage theft (an estimated 76% experience wage theft). These stats explain how workers in Georgia, China, and really a ton of places in the world are getting robbed of their pay, rights, and just in general, freedoms. In 2021, six workers died in Gainesville, Georgia due to a dangerous nitrogen leak. Many migrant workers such as these have been dying because of unsafe work environments and dangerous working conditions. The Latino fatality rate increased to 4.5 per 100,000 workers in 2020, 32% greater than the national average; that marks a 15% increase over the past decade. Many migrants who are fleeing from their countries just to be safe accept doing risky jobs just to support themselves and their family have been suffering just like the Chinese workers. As a person whose mom is disabled, it hurts me to know that so many people who might have worked so hard to get a job and put food on the table for themselves or their family get exposed to bad chemicals or get injured doing their jobs.
I’m writing this letter because I know you have put some effort into getting labor laws for migrants in Georgia, but also improving U.S. and international labor laws. To help Chinese and American workers, please pass or approve a law to make sure Georgia companies consistently have permanent auditors on site to make sure everything is on track. With permanent auditors, they can search factories for chemicals, unsafe items, do lengthy inspections and look for possible violations. Another thing you could do is pass a law to enforce Georgia factories to have, and use safe equipment when making things. This would look like companies not just using aged equipment, but using up to date equipment to keep workers safe. Additionally, you could also add cameras to factories in Georgia that can account for worker safety and make sure everyone is being treated fairly. If the cameras are not being used correctly company owners should visit the factories themselves and check on the workers and make sure nothing bad is brewing.
In conclusion, I encourage you, Senator Ossoff, to consider the safety and conditions of all workers in the United States and overseas as our pledge to respect human rights and fair wages. These rights are meant to make sure everyone gets treated fairly, respected, and has a say in their needs and preferences. Thank you, Senator Ossoff, for listening and taking time to read about this issue despite your busy schedule.
Sincerely,
Alex Rosenberg

Alex Rosenberg is in the 6th grade at The Children’s School in Atlanta, Georgia. He is 12 years old and lives with his mother and father. He’s passionate about writing and geography. Alex enjoys sports and is both an avid watcher and player of soccer. Alex has a strong sense of justice, whether it’s on a global or local level.
Read more winning entries from the 2024 Local Letters for Global Change contest!