Two complementary economic processes have put downward pressure on wages and working conditions in the global economy: the liberalization of trade, and the growth and consolidation of global supply chains controlled by multinational corporations. Efforts to ensure workers� rights must go beyond the better monitoring and enforcement of core labor standards. Dr. Mark Anner, Associate Professor of Labor Studies and Political Science at Pennsylvania State University argues that a promising analytical framework should involve better rules to regulate trade and global supply chains. A core labor standards plus (CLS+) approach would expand the range of labor standards covered by trade agreements, including wages, working hours, health and safety, while also taking into consideration the ways in which trade and global supply chains bring about low wages and poor working conditions.