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Falling Short For Labor: Why The Trans-Pacific Partnership Does Not Do Enough For Workers' Rights, And Evaluating Better Options, Judd Cohen

Case Western Reserve Journal of International Law

Using free trade agreements to increase labor standards in developing countries has not worked. Although most critics focus on lack of enforcement by the U.S., the real problem is the inherent tension between using free trade to make money, and spending money to improve labor standards. If the U.S. were to enforce labor standards, it would destroy the gains from free trade, which is why there is no incentive for developed countries to enforce the agreements. The Trans-Pacific Partnership is the latest example of a U.S. free trade agreement that does not address the tension between trade and labor. This …