A federal judge affirms jurisdiction in Solidarity Center’s lawsuit challenging the U.S. Department of Labor’s cancellation of international labor rights programs, paving the way for court review and potential reinstatement.
Contact: Solidarity Center, [email protected]
This week, a federal judge ruled that our lawsuit challenging the U.S. Department of Labor’s abrupt cancellation of the Bureau of International Labor Affairs (ILAB)-funded worker rights programs can move forward in federal district court. Represented by Public Citizen, we argued that the termination was in violation of the law. In its opinion this week, the court agreed that it has the power to hear our claims.
While we were not granted immediate emergency relief, this is a critical step. The case will now proceed in the court best positioned to provide meaningful remedies, including the potential restoration of our ILAB-funded projects and a reaffirmation that the law must be followed.
This case is about more than funding. It’s about defending programs that support female workers standing up to workplace violence in West Africa, agricultural workers in Central America demanding safer conditions, and manufacturing workers in Mexico using labor rights to hold employers accountable under trade agreements – rights that help ensure U.S. companies sourcing from these factories aren’t profiting from exploitation. These are the people behind the policies, workers whose lives and communities are directly affected when labor rights enforcement disappears.
When all workers—whether in the U.S. or globally—can demand fair treatment and safe workplaces, it helps level the playing field for everyone.
We filed this lawsuit to protect their rights, uphold the rule of law, and push back against attempts to weaken fair trade and global labor standards. We’ll keep fighting in court—and alongside workers.
About the Solidarity Center
The Solidarity Center is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that works with unions and worker organizations around the world to promote and protect labor rights. It supports frontline efforts to improve wages, working conditions and workplace safety, combat exploitation and advance the rule of law in the global economy. Learn more: www.solidaritycenter.org/stopping-the-race-to-the-bottom/
About Public Citizen Litigation Group
Public Citizen Litigation Group is the litigating arm of the nonprofit consumer advocacy organization Public Citizen Foundation. Founded in 1972, the Litigation Group has a long track record of holding federal agencies accountable and enforcing the rule of law in defense of the public good. Learn more: www.citizen.org/litigation.