WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced the signing of a new framework of action alongside the governments of Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana and the World Cocoa Foundation to address child labor in the West African cocoa sector.

Together, Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana produce nearly 60 percent of the world’s cocoa each year. Despite progress, children are still engaged in child labor on cocoa farms in these two countries.

WASHINGTON – The U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement’s Interagency Labor Committee for Monitoring and Enforcement today requested that the government of Mexico review an alleged denial of workers’ rights at Akwel Juarez, an automotive component manufacturing facility in Ciudad Juarez, State of Chihuahua, Mexico.

The U.S. Department of Labor and U.S. Trade Representative co-chair the Interagency Labor Committee.

WASHINGTON – A delegation from the Department of Labor’s Bureau of International Labor Affairs, led by  Deputy Undersecretary for International Affairs Thea Lee, discussed shared labor and employment priorities with other national leaders at the 2024 United Nation’s Climate Change Conference - also known as the Conference of Parties 29 - in Azerbaijan, from Nov. 13-15, 2024.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced the award of $5 million to the International Labour Organization to address child and forced labor and improve working conditions in select supply chains in Brazil, as well as other Latin American countries and the Caribbean. 

WASHINGTON – The U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement’s Interagency Labor Committee for Monitoring and Enforcement today requested that the government of Mexico review an alleged denial of workers’ at Vidrio Decorativo Occidental, a manufacturer of decorative glass in Matamoros, Mexico.

The U.S. Department of Labor and U.S. Trade Representative co-chair the Interagency Labor Committee.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor and Kenya’s Ministry of Labor and Social Protection today signed a memorandum of understanding to advance labor cooperation between the two countries.

Deputy Undersecretary for International Affairs Thea Lee and Kenyan Cabinet Secretary for Labor and Social Protection Alfred N. Mutua met for a signing ceremony at the ministry’s Nairobi headquarters.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. and Swiss governments have renewed a memorandum of understanding to expand and strengthen quality apprenticeships and pathways to good jobs, including Registered Apprenticeships, among Swiss companies and Swiss-invested companies in the U.S.

WASHINGTON – The U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement’s Interagency Labor Committee for Monitoring and Enforcement today requested that the Mexican government review an alleged denial of workers’ rights at Odisa Equipment Services, a cement plant machinery manufacturing facility in Hidalgo, Mexico.

The U.S. Department of Labor and U.S. Trade Representative co-chair the Interagency Labor Committee.

KENNEWICK, WA – The U.S. Department of Labor has debarred a Kennewick farm labor contractor from participating in the H-2A temporary agricultural worker program for three years after finding the employer provided workers with unhealthy living conditions; transported them in unsafe vehicles driven by people without licenses or proper permits; withheld wages and made illegal pay deductions; told workers to falsify documents to mask violations of federal regulations; and denied U.S. workers access to jobs.

WASHINGTON – The United States and Mexico have announced the successful resolution to a Rapid Response Mechanism petition alleging workers’ rights were denied at Impro Industries, a parts manufacturer in San Luis Potosí, Mexico. 

WASHINGTON – The U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement’s Interagency Labor Committee for Monitoring and Enforcement today requested the Mexico government review alleged denial of workers’ rights at the Bader leather car interior manufacturing facility in León, Guanajuato. The Department of Labor and the Office of the Trade Representative co-chair the committee.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced updates on the goods and products produced through the use of child or forced labor, the industries where children are exploited and how governments can combat these abuses.

WASHINGTON – The Department of Labor and the Office of the Trade Representative today announced the successful resolution of a U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement Rapid Response Labor Mechanism matter, following allegations of labor rights violations at the Volkswagen assembly plant in Puebla, Mexico. 

WASHINGTON – As the nation begins Labor Rights Week, the U.S. Department of Labor and the Republic of Colombia today announced the South American country has joined the Consular Partnership Program to raise awareness among Colombians working in the U.S. about regulations protecting them in America’s workplaces. 

WASHINGTON – U.S. Department of Labor officials and representatives from the Mexican Embassy and other diplomatic missions joined today to mark Labor Rights Week 2024 with an event promoting migrant workers’ rights and how the department is safeguarding these rights. 

WASHINGTON – The U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement’s Interagency Labor Committee for Monitoring and Enforcement today requested the government of Mexico conduct a review based on its finding that a denial of workers’ rights occurred at the Pirelli Neumáticos rubber tire manufacturing facility in Silao, Guanajuato.

WASHINGTON – Acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su and a delegation from the department’s Bureau of International Labor Affairs joined labor ministers to discuss shared labor and employment priorities at the G20 Labor and Employment Ministers’ Meeting in Fortaleza, Brazil, from July 25 to 26, 2024. 

WASHINGTON – The U.S. and Mexican governments today announced an agreement on a course of remediation at the Volkswagen vehicle assembly plant in Puebla, Mexico, in response to a petition filed under the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement’s Rapid Response Labor Mechanism. 

WASHINGTON – The U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement’s Interagency Labor Committee for Monitoring and Enforcement today requested the Mexican government conduct a review at Impro Industries, a Chinese-owned parts manufacturer in San Luis Potosí, based on its finding that workers’ rights were denied at the facility.

The Secretary of Labor and U.S. Trade Representative co-chair the Interagency Labor Committee.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced the successful resolution of a course of remediation addressing alleged labor rights violations at the RV Fresh processing facility in Michoacan, Mexico, under the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement Rapid Response Labor Mechanism. The Secretary of Labor and U.S. Trade Representative co-chair the Interagency Labor Committee.