Trade Subcommittee Chairman Asks CBP, USTR, DOL to Combat Poor Working Conditions in DR
House Ways and Means Trade Subcommittee Chairman Earl Blumenauer, D-Ore., joined by 14 Democrats on the committee, is asking that the Biden administration develop an action plan to improve the working conditions of Haitian migrant workers in the sugar industry in the Dominican Republic, including potentially banning the import of that sugar under the ban on goods made with forced labor.
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The Democrats sent a letter to the U.S. trade representative, the head of Homeland Security and the Labor Department secretary, suggesting they could use either the free trade agreement that the Dominican Republic is a party to, or the forced labor law, since they say that despite the attention brought by a 2011 labor case under the Dominican Republic-Central America Free Trade Agreement, "labor conditions in the Dominican Republic sugar sector remain abhorrent."
“Notwithstanding important steps taken in the sector over the years, the conditions reported indicate that we must do more to ensure compliance with domestic labor laws and international labor standards, including those embedded in the DR-CAFTA,” the lawmakers continued. “DR-CAFTA has required the Dominican Republic to enforce its labor laws for fifteen years, and for ten of those fifteen years the U.S. government has worked on the outstanding labor petition highlighting that the industry is falling short. All the while, workers in the sugar sector are reportedly forced to work in slave-like conditions. We are simply not doing enough. The United States must reexamine and redouble government efforts to meaningfully address this situation.” They requested a briefing on the action plan within 45 days.