WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) issued the following statement in response to today's announcement by the Obama Administration that it has requested labor consultations with the Government of Guatemala under the Dominican Republic-Central America-United States Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR). 

"For decades our government has negotiated trade agreements which gave lip service to protecting workers while looking the other way when there were clear violations of labor rights which harm workers everywhere. The Bush Administration even came right out and said that it would not use the enforcement tools available to address the well-documented labor and human rights abuses in Jordan.

"The Obama Administration's decision to hold Guatemala accountable for apparent labor violations is an important step toward changing the way we do business. I applaud Ambassador Kirk and Secretary Solis for taking on this case and signaling to our current and potential trade partners that the days of saying one thing and doing another are over.

"While this is a significant step, much work remains to be done to strengthen labor rights in trade agreements. The labor rules of CAFTA and the Peru Agreement are flawed because they give bad actors too many ways to circumvent the system. It should not be so hard to enforce labor rights while it is so easy to evade environmental and health laws.

"The consultation under this trade agreement should be used as a lesson in how we negotiate the labor chapters of new and better trade agreements, including the Trans-Pacific Partnership."

This is the first time that the U.S. has requested consultations under the labor chapter of a U.S. free trade agreement. The move is aimed at addressing Guatemala's failure to investigate allegations of labor violation in its exporting sectors and failure to take enforcement action once the labor ministry has identified a labor violation.

Brown is considered one of Congress' leading voices on trade issues. He is the author of the Trade Reform, Accountability, Development, and Employment (TRADE) Act, legislation which would require a review of existing trade agreements, provide an opportunity to renegotiate existing trade agreements, and outline principles of what should be included in future trade agreements. The legislation also calls for the role of Congress in trade policymaking to be strengthened. He also introduced the Trade Enforcement Priorities Act, legislation that would give the federal government more authority to address trade barriers that undermine American workers and domestic manufacturing. This includes the reinstatement of "Super 301" authority, which allows the U.S. Trade Representative to enforce trade laws that promote domestic manufacturing and job creation.

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