December 5, 2022

US Department of Labor joins US Trade Representative, European Commission to host first principals’ meeting of the US-EU Trade and Labor Dialogue

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative and the European Commission today led the inaugural principals’ meeting of the U.S. and European Union tripartite Trade and Labor Dialogue.

December 1, 2022

READOUT: Deputy Undersecretary Lee visits Colombia, engages with new Petro administration leaders on labor compliance under trade agreement

WASHINGTON – Deputy Undersecretary of Labor for International Affairs Thea Lee visited Colombia from Nov. 27 to Dec. 1 to promote workers’ rights and protections, and to meet with Colombia’s labor and trade officials in the new Gustavo Petro administration and discuss progress on labor commitments under the U.S.-Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement.

November 29, 2022

US Department of Labor announces $12M cooperative agreement to strengthen labor rights, empower workers in Brazil, Colombia, Peru

WASHINGTON The U.S. Department of Labor today announced the award of a $12 million cooperative agreement to the American Center for International Labor Solidarity(link is external) to strengthen democratic, independent workers’ organizations in Brazil, Colombia and Peru.

November 22, 2022

READOUT: Deputy Undersecretary of Labor Thea Lee visits Vietnam to resume labor dialogue; promote labor law reform, worker protections

WASHINGTON – Deputy Undersecretary of Labor for International Affairs Thea Lee visited Vietnam from Nov. 15 through 17, 2022, to resume a dialogue on labor issues that began in 2002.

November 2, 2022

READOUT: Deputy Undersecretary Lee visits Jordan to meet labor officials, stakeholders; reflects on country’s 20 years of labor rights advances

WASHINGTON In the first visit to Jordan by a senior U.S. Department of Labor official in more than two decades, Deputy Undersecretary of Labor for International Affairs Thea Lee met with government officials, and labor union and business leaders for discussions on how the two nations can cooperatively help strengthen workers’ rights in the Middle East kingdom.

October 4, 2022

US Department of Labor awards $2M grant to help improve labor conditions, prevent forced, child labor in Uzbekistan’s cotton industry

WASHINGTON The U.S. Department of Labor today announced the award of a $2 million cooperative agreement to support the improvement of labor conditions and prevent forced labor and child labor in Uzbekistan’s cotton industry.

September 28, 2022

US Department of Labor announces new reports, tools in global effort to end child, forced labor

WASHINGTON The U.S. Department of Labor has announced updated and new tools designed to eliminate child and forced labor worldwide by detailing the scope and potential sources of the problems, and providing guidance to those combating them.

September 20, 2022

READOUT: US Department of Labor, US Trade Representative host trans-Atlantic trade, labor dialogue with union, business leaders

WASHINGTON The U.S. Department of Labor and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative today participated in the first meeting of the trans-Atlantic tripartite Trade and Labor Dialogue.

Launched under the U.S.-European Union Trade and Technology Council, the dialogue allows participants to engage on trans-Atlantic trade and labor issues with government, labor and business stakeholders in the U.S. and Europe.

September 19, 2022

US Department of Labor awards $3M to support project to improve working conditions in Bangladesh, focused on labor rights abuses in three cities

WASHINGTON The U.S. Department of Labor today announced the award of $3 million to the American Center for International Labor Solidarity for a project to improve working conditions and labor rights standards in Bangladesh’s ready-made garments, tea, shrimp farming and construction industries.

September 14, 2022

Secretary of Labor, US Trade Representative support protection of labor rights at Mexico’s Manufacturas VU auto parts facility

WASHINGTON – The U.S. and Mexico today announced that, in response to a petition provided in the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, the Mexican government took actions to ensure a free and fair election to choose union representation for workers at the Manufacturas VU Auto Components facility in Piedras Negras, State of Coahuila.

September 13, 2022

US Department of Labor report finds Dominican Republic’s sugar industry workers face unsafe, unfair working conditions; enforcement challenges

WASHINGTON The U.S. Department of Labor today announced publication of its seventh report detailing ongoing concerns about egregious working conditions and labor law enforcement challenges in the Dominican Republic’s sugar industry.

September 2, 2022

US Department of Labor announces availability of $10M in funding for project to support state-level labor courts in Mexico

WASHINGTON The U.S. Department of Labor today announced a funding opportunity availability of up to $10 million to support the work of the local, state-level labor courts created by Mexico’s 2019 labor law reform. The project will focus on strengthening the capacity of the courts to adjudicate labor cases, particularly those related to freedom of association, collective bargaining and other fundamental labor rights.

August 30, 2022

US Department of Labor announces availability of $12M in funding to promote workers’ rights in Brazil, Colombia, Peru

WASHINGTON The U.S. Department of Labor today announced an opportunity for up to $12 million in grant funding to strengthen democratic, independent workers’ organizations and help promote labor rights in supply chains in Brazil, Colombia and Peru. The project will focus on underserved communities and seek to advance gender and racial equity.

August 29, 2022

US Department of Labor awards $12M to support improved enforcement of Mexico’s labor laws, landmark 2019 reform efforts

WASHINGTON The U.S. Department of Labor today announced the award of grant funding of $12 million to the American Institutes for Research to empower federal and state labor inspectors in Mexico to improve enforcement of Mexico’s landmark 2019 labor law reform in five of its states.

August 29, 2022

US Department of Labor to make $5M in funding available to increase protection of workers in Brazil, Paraguay’s cattle-raising areas

WASHINGTON The U.S. Department of Labor today announced availability of up to $5 million in grant funding to support efforts to address abusive labor practices, particularly in cattle-raising areas of Brazil and Paraguay.

August 29, 2022

US Department of Labor announces availability of $4M in funding to tackle child labor in West African agriculture

WASHINGTON The U.S. Department of Labor announced the availability of up to $4 million in funding to support the Economic Community of West African States and the Government of Nigeria in their efforts to address child labor in agricultural communities.