United States

Major ports on the West Coast of the United States have surged back to life after negotiators reached a tentative labor agreement between dockworkers and port operators. U.S. Labor Secretary Thomas Perez recently traveled to California to assist in the negotiations which drug on through the latter half of 2014 after the previous agreement expired. While most workers are back on the job, a vote on the proposed 5-year deal is still pending. (VOA News)
 
Protecting the rights of workers all over the world is a top priority for U.S. President Barack Obama, according to a new government report. “Standing Up for Workers: Promoting Labor Rights through Trade” discusses the measures taken by the U.S. Trade Representative and the U.S. Labor Department to improve working conditions and labor laws in places like Jordan, Guatemala, and Bangladesh. The report says that sustained progress will only be made with the cooperation of the entire international labor community.(U.S. Trade Representative)