DR-CAFTA Labor Rights Issues


 

Publication Date: July 2005

Publisher: Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

Author(s):

Research Area: Labor; Trade

Type:

Abstract:

The U.S.-Dominican Republic-Central America Free Trade Agreement (DRCAFTA, approved by the Senate on June 30, 2005) is the eighth free trade agreement to include labor protections.1 Labor concerns focus on three main questions: (1) How strong are labor laws in DR-CAFTA countries?2 (2) Are those labor laws being adequately enforced? and (3) Does DR- CAFTA comply with the principal negotiating objectives for trade agreements outlined in the Trade Act of 2002? This report will be updated as events warrant.