Press reports haven't provided enough detail to be certain, but there seems to be some evidence that the United Nations may be violating, if not the letter, then at least the spirit, of Haiti's minimum wage law with its cash-for-work program.

A recent AP report indicates that the minimum wage in Haiti for non-garment sector work is the equivalent of about $5 for an eight hour day. (If you're producing clothes for export to the United States, you can be paid less than the minimum for other workers - about $3.09 for an eight hour day.) Estimating from other press reports, I gather that the minimum wage in Haiti is actually 200 Haitian gourdes for an eight-hour day, or about $4.97.

A UN press release says workers in the UN's cash-for-work program are "receiving the equivalent of just under $5 a day."

But press reports here and here seem to indicate that the actual wage is 180 Haitian gourdes, or about $4.47, for six hours of labor.

If one looks at the UN wage as an hourly wage, then it's 30 Haitian gourdes an hour, or about 75 cents an hour. At that rate, a person working for eight hours would make 240 gourdes, or about $5.96. So, viewed in this hourly way, the UN could argue that it is paying more than the Haitian legal minimum.

But as we all know, food, shelter and clothing for a worker and a worker's family cost the same whether the person is working for 8 hours or 6 hours. There's no reason to believe that workers in the UN program have other wage income - the UN certainly hasn't provided any.

On March 10, in the Israeli city of Haifa, American peace activist Rachel Corrie will get her day in court. Rachel's parents, Cindy and Craig Corrie, are bringing suit against the Israeli defence ministry for Rachel's killing by an Israeli military bulldozer in Gaza in March 2003.

Four key American and British witnesses who were present at the scene - members of the International Solidarity Movement - will be allowed into Israel to testify, despite having been barred previously by the Israeli authorities from entering the country. This reversal by the Israeli authorities is apparently due to U.S. government pressure, the Guardian reports. (Three cheers for any U.S. officials who contributed to this pressure. What else could you make the Israeli government do?)

A Palestinian doctor from Gaza who treated Corrie after she was injured has not been given permission by the Israeli authorities to leave Gaza to attend. (This would seem to be important testimony concerning the nature of Rachel's injuries - did U.S. officials exert pressure for his appearance?)

This case isn't just about accountability for Rachel's death. It's a test case for the power of the rule of law in Israel, when the rule of law comes into conflict with the policies of military occupation.

Just Foreign Policy News
February 23, 2010

Haitian Garment Workers Should Get $5 a Day
Americans want to help Haiti; Democrats control the U.S. Congress; the Haitian Parliament has passed legislation saying Haitian workers should be paid at least $5 a day; and specific legislation that provides preferential access to the U.S. market to garments from Haiti is already U.S. law. Therefore, the following policy reform ought to be a slam dunk: Haitian garment workers whose products receive preferential access to the U.S. market under the HOPE II Act ought to be paid at least $5 a day.
http://www.justforeignpolicy.org/node/491

Derrick Crowe: Reporters Blow It On "1,000 Deaths in Afghanistan" Story
The Reuters and AFP stories announcing the 1,000th American death in Afghanistan are wrong, Crowe notes. All of these stories cite iCasualties.org. The front page of the site does have a number in the table that's at 1,000. This number is for all of "Operation Enduring Freedom," which includes the Philippines, the Horn of Africa, and other areas. icasualties.org's current figure for "U.S. Fatalities in and around Afghanistan" currently stands at 930.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2010/2/23/132034/504

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Just Foreign Policy News
February 22, 2010

NYT "Mystery" Op-Ed calls for more deaths of innocents in Afghanistan
The New York Times op-ed page gave a platform to a "mystery op-ed" of dubious provenance that slammed the Obama Administration for having *too low a tolerance* for civilian deaths in Afghanistan.
http://www.truthout.org/nyt-mystery-op-ed-calls-more-afghan-civilian-deaths57091

Ask the New York Times Public Editor to investigate why this op-ed was published without informing readers who the author is - and what the author's connection might be to those who profit from US use of airstrikes, heedless of civilian casualties.
public@nytimes.com

Democracy Now: Peter Hallward on "Haiti, Aristide, and the Politics of Containment"
Author Peter Hallward argues that if President Aristide were allowed to return to Haiti, he could be a spokesperson for popular empowerment, and could contribute to the popular mobilization necessary to overcome the crisis; and that Aristide could return if people in the U.S. spoke up.
http://www.democracynow.org/2010/2/22/peter_hallward_on_damming_the_flood

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Summary:
U.S./Top News