What's New?

In February 2023, the first issue of the ABA LEL Section International Labor and Employment Committee Newsletter (Winter 2023) under my watch was published. My article on the addition of OSH to the ILO Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights is included, as well as articles on the ILO's EIS pilot project in Bangladesh, the EU's new Women on Boards Directive, employment of foreigners in Poland, reforms to Italy's labor law procedures - among others. See here for all of the articles in the Winter 2023 issue.

In December 2022, my comments on the latest unemployment figures in Mexico were featured on page 1 of the Inter-American Dialogue Latin America Advisor (December 14, 2022): What Forces Are Driving Mexico’s Labor Market?

In September 2022, I took over as Editor-in-Chief of the American Bar Association Labor and Employment Section International Committee Newsletter. Reach out to me to submit an article or article idea. The newsletter publishes short (2-5 paragraphs) articles on legal and policy developments in national, regional, and international legal and policy developments in labor, employment, benefits, and other areas of workplace law. Look for the next issue to be published in January 2023!

On the horizon...

In January 2023, look for my Comment World Bank Inspection Panel recommends investigation of harm caused by the Nachtigal Hydropower Project in Cameroon in International Labor Rights Case Law.

It's that time again - Time to update the Kluwer monograph on NAFTA, NAALC, and labor provisions in North American free trade agreements. See this space for news - and look for the latest edition, which will have a new title to reflect the transition from NAFTA to USMCA.

Highlights in 2022:

In June 2022, my commentary on enforcement of labor rights in Mexico under USMCA's Rapid Response Mechanism were featured in the Inter-American Dialogue Latin America Advisor (June 6, 2022): How well is USMCA protecting workers' rights?

It's Out! March 2022. The Edward Elgar Handbook on Globalisation and Labour Standards (Kimberly Ann Elliot, Editor) was published this month in the UK, ROW (Rest of the World), and the United States. This handbook, written by leading experts in the field of international trade and labor standards, contains cutting edge multi-disciplinary research on the linkage between globalization and labor standards. My chapter in the handbook, Enforcement of Labour Standards in Trade Agreements: the Case of Guatemala, focuses on the 2017 decision in the CAFTA-DR Guatemala labor case - how the report fits into the debate on human and labor standards in trade agreements and what it tells us about dispute resolution of labor issues under free trade agreements. The handbook has received positive reviews from leading international labor scholars.

In January 2022, I participated in an excellent panel on feminism and trade at the Allied Social Sciences Association (ASSA) 2022 annual conference, which was held virtually January 7-9, 2022. The panel, titled, Can Trade Be Used to Promote Feminist Objectives: Evaluating Recent Innovations in Trade Policy was a special session of the International Association for Feminist Economics (IAFFE) organized by Dr. Laura MacDonald of Carleton University in Canada. I presented research on whether EU law and human and labor rights provisions in EU preferential trade arrangements can be used to address sexual harassment in agriculture in Italy, Spain, Kenya, and Morocco. The paper itself is a work in progress. See this space for more information.

Highlights in 2021:

Presentation of my research on Access to Labor Justice in Central America under CAFTA-DR at the 5th Labour Law Research Network Conference which was held online this year June 27-29, 2021. It was a great conference and I got a lot of excellent feedback on the paper and ideas. Still a work in progress.
An article in the International Labor Rights Case Law Journal on a recent report by the German National Contact Point on a case in the Indonesian garment sector brought under the OECD Guidelines on Multi-national Enterprises. There is a pay wall for most readers. Drop me a line and I will send you a copy.
An article in the American Bar Association International Labor and Employment Newsletter on the filing of the first petition filed under USMCA Chapter 23 on Labor by women farmworkers in Mexico alleging that the United States Governments has failed to meet its commitments by allowing rampant discrimination against women in recruitment, hiring, and treatment in the H-2 visa programs.
An article in the American Bar Association International Labor and Employment Newsletter on the January 2021 report issued by the Panel of Experts under labor provisions in the EU-Korea free trade agreement. For mini-compendium of significant initial responses to the EU-Korea Panel Report, see here for my post on A Little Bit of Lime
A piece in IntLawGrrls advocating for the inclusion of enforceable gender provisions in the proposed US-Kenya free trade agreement

Highlights in 2020:

My first piece in Regulating for Globalization on the report issued by the Mexican labor department in response to a sex discrimination petition filed under NAALC by migrant worker advocates
An article on COVID-19 in Panama as part of a really excellent and comprehensive special issue of the Italian Labour Law E-Journal For two compendia of useful international and comparative resources on COVID-19 and the workplace, see here and here.

Highlights in 2019:

Publication of the Second Edition of NAFTA and NAALC: Twenty-Five Years of Trade-Labour Linkage! Lots of changes since May 2019 though - check this space and my blog A Little Bit of Lime for updates since USMCA entered into force in July 2020