Is There an Emerging Transnational Regime for Labor Standards

Lance A. Compa, Cornell University ILR School

Abstract

[Extract] Professor Compa spoke about the NAALC and a recent case illustrating the dynamic described by Professor Trubek and Rothstein. He began with a brief description of the submission process under the NAALC, which allows activists in any of the three countries signatory to NAFTA to file a complaint with their own government alleging the failure of one of the other signatories to enforce its own labor laws. Professor Compa explained that although the NAALC was widely criticized for its lack of "teeth" by labor activists who opposed NAFTA, it has become a useful, if not perfect, tool. To date, seventeen submissions have been made to the three governments.