Washington Trade Daily reports that House opponents of the U.S.-Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) are moving within sight of the 218 votes needed to defeat the trade deal, with 165 members stating that they will or are likely to vote against CAFTA. According to WTD, concern about lack of decent labor standards in Central America, as well as CAFTA's failure to ensure such standards improve, is most often cited as the reason for opposition. (WTD, dated 05/17/05, www.washingtontradedaily.com)
Forced Labor
CBP is the primary U.S. agency tasked with combating forced labor in international trade. It is the only agency with legal authority to take enforcement action and prevent entry into domestic commerce of goods produced with forced labor. CBP combats forced labor by issuing Withhold Release Orders (WROs) and Findings, and enforcement of the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA), and Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA). Goods subject to WROs and Findings, UFLPA, and CAATSA status cannot be entered at any ports of the U.S.
On October 18, 2004, President Bush signed into law the conference version of H.R. 4567, the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2005 (Public Law (P.L.) 108-334).
The Journal of Commerce Online reports that the container congestion that has affected the Los Angeles - Long Beach harbor for the past three months will continue for at least four to eight weeks, or even longer, due to higher than projected cargo volumes, compounded by lack of capacity on railroads serving the docks and a severe shortage of longshore labor. (JoC Online, dated 09/29/04, www.joc.com)
According to The Washington Post and a National Council of Textile Organizations (NCTO) press release, on September 9, 2004 a group of industry, farm, and labor groups, seeking to put pressure on the Bush Administration before the Presidential election, petitioned the government to accept a Section 301 petition against China's currency policies. The Washington Post reports that the groups are accusing China of manipulating its currency to gain trade advantages against U.S. firms. (WP dated 09/09/04, http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A8529-2004Sep9.html; NCTO press release, www.ncto.org/newsroom/pr200407.asp.)
The Journal of Commerce Online reports that a decision by union longshoremen not to work on Labor Day could cause a labor shortage at the port of Los Angeles - Long Beach, throwing these ports into crisis mode due to record volumes of vessels in the port complex. The article notes that these ports have been struggling with port congestion due largely to delays in the intermodal rail network and a shortage of dockworkers. Port employers had asked the union to be available to work on Labor Day. (Joc Online, dated 09/01/04, www.joc.com )
On June 18, 2003, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 4567, the fiscal year (FY) 2005 appropriations bill for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), including the Bureau of Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) has issued a fact sheet stating, among other things, that the U.S.-Morocco Free Trade Agreement (FTA) has helped lead to a comprehensive new Moroccan labor law, effective June 8, 2004, which raises the minimum employment age from 12 to 15, reduces the work week from 48 to 44 hours, calls for periodic review of the Moroccan minimum wage, etc. (USTR fact sheet, dated 06/23/04, available at http://www.ustr.gov/new/fta/Morocco/2004-06-23-morocco-factsheet-labor.pdf)
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) has issued a notice announcing that it has determined not to initiate an investigation regarding a Section 301 petition filed by the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) which addressed workers' rights in China.
The Department of Labor's (DOL's) Bureau of International Labor Affairs (ILAB) has issued a notice which states that as part of its monitoring effort, it is requesting current information about the nature and extent of forced/indentured child labor in the cocoa industry in Cte d'Ivoire as well as efforts made by that country's government to address the problem.
On January 23, 2004, President Bush signed into law (Public Law (P.L.) 108-199) the conference version of the fiscal year (FY) 2004 omnibus appropriations bill (H.R. 2673), entitled the "Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2004." P.L. 108-199 includes eight separate appropriations measures that provide FY 2004 appropriations for the Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Education, Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban Development, Justice, Labor, State, Transportation, Treasury, Veterans Affairs, etc.