DR-CAFTA Labor Rights Issues (CRS Report for Congress)
| Release Date |
Revised Jan. 26, 2006 |
| Report Number |
RS22159 |
| Report Type |
Report |
| Authors |
Mary Jane Bolle, Foreign Affairs, Defense, and Trade Division |
| Source Agency |
Congressional Research Service |
| Older Revisions |
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Summary:
The U.S.-Dominican Republic-Central America Free Trade Agreement (DRCAFTA,(P.L. 109-53, August 2, 2005) is the eighth free trade agreement to includelabor protections. Implementation, scheduled for January 1, 2006, has been postponedbecause no DR-CAFTA country has completed internal legal and regulatory changesrequired, although several are close. Meanwhile, the countries' goods entering theUnited States will continue to receive preferential tariff treatment under the GeneralizedSystem of Preferences (GSP). Labor concerns focused on three main questions: (1)How strong are labor laws in DR-CAFTA countries? (2) Are those labor laws beingadequately enforced? and (3) Does DR- CAFTA comply with the principal negotiatingobjectives for trade agreements outlined in the Trade Act of 2002?
