,i  #aafth ,,congress  #ast ,session    
,h4 ,r4 #chjg  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of  
,,representatives  ,july #ag1 #bjai,ms4 
,kaptur 7for herself1 ,ms4 ,schakowsky1 
,ms4 ,mc,collum1 ,ms4 ,jackson ,lee1    
,mr4 ,raskin1 ,mr4 ,tonko1 ,mr4 ,ryan1  
,ms4 ,pingree1 ,ms4 ,lee of ,california1
 ,mr4 ,lynch1 ,mr4 ,sherman1 ,mr4       
,grijalva1 ,ms4 ,norton1 ,ms4 ,tlaib1   
and ,mr4 ,rush7 introduced the following
 bill2 which was referred to the        
,committee on ,ways and ,means  ,a      
,,bill  ,to require that any trade      
agreement eligible for expedited        
consideration by ,congress include      
enforceable labor standards and         
protections1 and for other purposes4    
#a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited
 as the ,independent ,labor ,secretariat
 for ,fair ,trade ,deals ,act4  #b4     
,sense of ,congress ,it is the sense of 
,congress that1 with respect to the     
labor-related provisions of all trade   
agreements1 all parties to such         
agreements--  7#a7 are obliged to ensure

 all workers in their territory1        
regardless of the workers' citizenship1 
immigration status or national origin1  
the rights and freedoms guaranteed in   
the eight core ,conventions of the      
,international ,labor ,organization1    
including the right to strike1 as part  
of the right to freedom of association2 
7#b7 are obliged to ensure acceptable   
conditions of work that cover all       
workers in their territory1 regardless  
of the workers' citizenship1 immigration
 status or national origin2  7#c7 should
 agree that all workers have the right  
to receive wages sufficient for them to 
afford1 in the region of the signatory  
country where the worker resides1 a     
decent standard of living for the worker
 and family2  7#d7 should agree the work
 of all workers in the economy shall be 
deemed trade-related and therefore      
subject to the obligations of this      
chapter to earn fair wages2  7#e7 should
 agree not to reduce labor standards1   
provide formal or informal exceptions to

 any employer1 or fail to enforce such  
standards as to any obligation covered  
by the agreement2  7#f7 should agree    
that a threat1 act of intimidation1 or  
an act of violence against any worker   
exercising1 or attempting to exercise1  
any of the rights and freedoms protected
 by the agreement should be considered a
 violation of the underlying right or   
freedom2  7#g7 should agree that the    
failure to investigate any such threat1 
act of intimidation1 or act of violence1
 or failure to prosecute identified     
perpetrators of any such threat or act1 
should be considered a failure to       
enforce the underlying right or freedom 
and therefore a violation of the        
agreement2  7#h7 are obliged to ensure  
that all trade in goods made1 in whole  
or in part1 by forced labor or the worst
 forms of child labor is banned outright
 and that no party procures goods made  
with forced labor or the worst forms of 
child labor2  7#i7 are obliged to ensure
 that all persons have appropriate and  

timely access to tribunals for the      
enforcement of the party's own labor    
laws1 without undue delay2  7#aj7 are   
obliged to ensure that domestic laws and
 regulations provide for adequate and   
timely access to labor inspectors from  
government bodies and unions to seek    
timely inspections to follow up on      
alleged violations of the agreement2    
7#aa7 are obliged to ensure that no     
person wishing to be protected by this  
section is excluded from such           
protections by virtue of being          
classified as a temporary worker1       
fixed-contract worker1 subcontracted    
worker1 independent contractor1 or the  
like2  7#ab7 are obliged to ensure that 
domestic laws guard against             
employer-dominated unions or unions     
controlled by political parties1        
ensuring that unions are responsible to 
their members and that unions provide   
members with timely access to union     
bylaws and collective bargaining        
agreements2 and  7#ac7 are obliged to   

ensure that workers are entitled to all 
rights and benefits of their primary    
work location regardless of their       
citizenship1 immigration status1 or     
national origin1 and that adequate      
effort are made to ensure that workers  
are provided with access to information 
in their primary language and in printed
 format1 if requested4  #c4 ,negotiating
 objectives relating to the enforcement 
of labor-related trade agreement        
provisions ,section #ajb7;b77#aj7 of the
 ,bipartisan ,congressional ,trade      
,priorities and ,accountability ,act of 
#bjae 7#ai ,u4,s4,c4 #dbja7;b77#aj77 is 
amended--  7#a7 by striking             
subparagraphs 7,h7 and 7,i72 and  7#b7  
by adding at the end the following3     
7,h7 to establish a ,labor ,secretariat1
 led and staffed by experienced and     
qualified experts in labor rights1 labor
 standards1 labor economics1 or human   
rights1 to--  7i7 address transnational 
issues relating to labor2  7ii7 monitor 
and enforce labor-related trade         

agreement provisions2 and  7iii7 provide
 research relating to the effects of the
 trade agreement on jobs and communities
 in the countries covered by the        
agreement2  7,i7 to empower the staff of
 the ,secretariat1 with respect to the  
countries covered by the agreement1 to--
  7i7 visit and monitor workplaces2     
7ii7 interview workers without employer 
or government monitoring or             
interference2  7iii7 recommend changes  
to workplace conditions to comply with  
labor-related provisions of the         
agreement as a result of information    
obtained through such visits1           
monitoring1 and interviews2 and  7iv7   
observe and assist the officials of     
relevant agencies or departments of the 
governments of any such countries in    
implementing and enforcing the          
labor-related provisions of the         
agreement2  7,j7 to provide that the    
,secretariat shall have the authority to
 originate and pursue dispute           
settlements under the enforcement       

procedures of the agreement when it     
determines that meaningful progress     
toward the implementation of the        
recommendations of the ,secretariat has 
ceased or that a signatory to the       
agreement is persistently out of        
compliance with one or more of the      
labor-related provisions of the         
agreement2  7,k7 to require arbitrators 
presiding over a dispute brought by the 
,secretariat pursuant to such authority 
to--  7i7 have expertise in             
international labor rights and standards
 or international human rights          
protections2  7ii7 base their decisions 
on guidance from the ,,ilo1 including in
 the form of conventions1 reports1 or   
recommendations2 and  7iii7 ensure that 
such arbitrators may seek technical     
assistance or expert reports from the   
,,ilo for the settlement of such        
dispute1 including by extending the     
duration of the panel for purposes of   
obtaining such assistance2  7,l7 to     
ensure that such arbitrators have the   

power to impose sanctions on specific   
workplaces1 employers1 industries1 or   
sectors1 as well as on signatory parties
 as a whole1 in the form of suspension  
of benefits under the agreement1 in     
order to enforce the decisions and      
ensure that the labor-related provisions
 of the agreement are fully implemented 
and enforced2  7,m7 to provide that no  
signatory to the trade agreement may    
have veto power over the activity of the
 ,secretariat or may control1 prevent1  
or delay ,secretariat activities2  7,n7 
to provide a robust enforcement system1 
that may also include access to the     
domestic judicial system of a signatory 
to the agreement1 to compel action from 
the ,secretariat on behalf of interested
 parties1 including workers1 unions1 or 
employers1 if the ,secretariat has not  
timely met its obligations under the    
agreement or if a party declines to     
suspend benefits as directed by the     
arbitrators2  7,o7 to establish a ,wages
 and ,standards ,working ,group-- 7i7 to

 study1 review and consider the impact  
of the trade agreement on wages1        
benefits1 labor rights1 working         
conditions1 inequality1 disparities and 
the creation of stable1 secure1         
family-wage order to create a cycle of  
continuous improvement in the           
implementation of the agreement2 and    
7ii7 to monitor and evaluate the work of
 the ,secretariat2  7,p7 to establish an
 ,expert ,wages ,panel--  7i7 to provide
 advice to the signatories of the       
agreement relating to changes to        
national wage laws and rates in order to
 improve standards of living in the     
trade agreement region2 and  7ii7 to    
advise the ,secretariat with respect to 
allegations that goods or services      
traded pursuant to the agreement have   
failed to meet the commitments made in  
such agreement relating to labor        
protections2  7,q7 to ensure that       
migrant workers1 regardless of          
immigration status1 who are subject to  
the jurisdiction of any signatory to the

 agreement are afforded the same rights 
and remedies available to citizens or   
nationals of such signatories under the 
agreement2 and  7,r7 to establish       
transnational standards of employment   
relations among signatories to the      
agreement that provide for the          
establishment of transnational unions   
and collective agreements with common   
employers and other transnational       
requirements to ensure that workers for 
supranational employers have the        
capacity to engage in supranational     
bargaining4  4