[20060126]RS22159_DR-CAFTA劳工权利问题.pdf

1 The first seven are the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and five U.S. bilateraltrade agreements with Jordan, Chile, Singapore, Australia, Morocco, and Bahrain (proposed).2 DR-CAFTA countries are the Dominican Republic, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala,Honduras, and Nicaragua.Congressional Research Service The Library of CongressCRS Report for CongressReceived through the CRS WebOrder Code RS22159Updated January 26, 2006DR-CAFTA Labor Rights IssuesMary Jane BolleSpecialist in International TradeForeign Affairs, Defense, and Trade DivisionSummaryThe U.S.-Dominican Republic-Central America Free Trade Agreement (DR-CAFTA, (P.L. 109-53, August 2, 2005) is the eighth free trade agreement to includelabor protections.1 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 (2) Are those labo