Table of Contents

Table of Contents

Table of Contents.......................................................................................................................... ii

TAB 1: AGENCY ORGANIZATIONAL OVERVIEW .......................................................................... 1

Mission........................................................................................................................................ 1

Authorizing Legislation .............................................................................................................. 1

Organizational Structure ............................................................................................................. 2

Organizational Changes During the Past Eight Years................................................................ 9

Key Leaders................................................................................................................................ 9

TAB 2: 30/60/90 DAYS – STATE OF PLAY.................................................................................... 10

Key Meetings, Decisions and Announcements ........................................................................ 10

Key Agency Stakeholders......................................................................................................... 10

TAB 3: INITIATIVES ..................................................................................................................... 11

Policy and Program Issues........................................................................................................ 11

Audits and Reports.................................................................................................................... 17

Management.............................................................................................................................. 17

Calendar.................................................................................................................................... 17

TAB 4: BUDGET ........................................................................................................................... 18

TAB 5: AGENCY PERFORMANCE................................................................................................. 22
TAB 1: Agency Organizational Overview

1

TAB 1: AGENCY ORGANIZATIONAL OVERVIEW

Mission

The Bureau of International Labor Affairs (ILAB) works to build a fair and inclusive global 

economy by promoting worker rights, broadly shared prosperity, and a fair global playing field 

for workers and companies in the United States. ILAB combines policy engagement, technical 

assistance, and research to carry out the international responsibilities of the Department. Its 

activities support the Department’s domestic programs, while advancing broader U.S. labor, 

economic, development and foreign policy priorities. 

• Leveling the global playing field for U.S. workers and companies: ILAB works with 

interagency partners to negotiate, monitor, and enforce the labor clauses of trade 

agreements and trade preference programs. These efforts are supported by targeted 

research and innovative technical assistance to strengthen labor enforcement, build the 

capacity of labor stakeholders, and improve industrial relations among our key trading 

partners. In this way, ILAB helps to improve working conditions abroad while ensuring

that workers and companies in the United States do not face unfair competition with 

respect to labor rights and wages in other countries. 

• Combating abusive child labor, forced labor, and human trafficking: For more than 

a decade, ILAB has been the world’s leading funder of projects to eliminate the worst 

forms of child labor. Increasingly, its program and policy interventions also target the 

related abuses of forced labor and human trafficking. ILAB projects provide meaningful 

educational alternatives to children, improve labor law enforcement, raise awareness, and 

strengthen livelihoods for at-risk families. These programs are complemented by 

research and reporting as well as effective engagement with governments, workers, and 

companies to raise awareness and advocate for policies and practices to eliminate forced 

labor and child labor. 

• Promoting inclusive global growth and strong labor standards: ILAB works to 

strengthen labor rights, reduce inequalities, expand opportunity, and further decent work 

through its leadership at the International Labor Organization (ILO), the Group of 20 

(G20), and other multilateral institutions. ILAB couples these efforts with effective

bilateral diplomacy to promote respect for worker rights and strong labor market 

institutions. In these efforts, ILAB works closely with DOL’s domestic agencies and 

other U.S. government partners to help shape labor, economic, and trade policies that 

support quality job creation in the United States.

Authorizing Legislation

ILAB was established by General Order No. 33, dated October 10, 1947, and its activities are 

authorized through the Trade Act of 1974; the North American Free Trade Agreement 

Implementation Act of 1993; the Trade Act of 2000 and 2002; Executive Orders 11846, 13277 
TAB 1: Agency Organizational Overview

2

and 13126; Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act (TVPRA) of 2005 and 2008; the 

Farm Bill of 2008; and Secretary’s Order 18-2006.

Organizational Structure

Organizational Chart

Deputy Undersecretary

Carol Pier 

(Non-Career SES)

Chief Of Staff

Thomas Richards 

(Non-Career)

Administrative Officer

Deborah Becker

Associate Deputy 

Undersecretary

Eric Biel 

(Non-Career SES)

Special Assistant

Vail Kohnert (Non-Career)

Office of Child Labor, 

Forced Labor and Human 

Trafficking

Marcia Eugenio (Career SES)

Office of Trade and Labor 

Affairs

Matthew Levin

(Career SES)

Office of

International Relations

Robert Shephard

Office of Economic and 

Labor Research

Gregory Schoepfle 

(Career SES)

Associate Deputy 

Undersecretary

Mark Mittelhauser 

(Career SES)

Executive Assistant

Diane Ward

International Budget and 

Procurement Analyst

Bruce Yoon

Special Assistant

Vacant

International Relations 

Officer

Daniel Arp

A. Office of Child Labor, Forced Labor, and Human Trafficking (OCFT) 

The Office of Child Labor, Forced Labor, and Human Trafficking was established in 1993 (originally 

known as the International Child Labor Program). The U.S. Government is a global leader in 

combating child labor and forced labor, and OCFT has been at the forefront of this effort. OCFT’s 

work helps to raise labor standards and improve the welfare of vulnerable children, their families, and 

their communities. OCFT works to reduce the prevalence of the worst forms of child labor, forced 

labor, and human trafficking worldwide through the following tools: (1) research and reporting, (2) 

technical assistance and cooperation, (3) policy engagement, and (4) awareness raising. These tools 

are strongly linked and mutually reinforce one another. 

OCFT produces leading research and reporting on child labor and forced labor throughout the world 

to inform ILAB’s policy engagement and technical cooperation strategies. OCFT’s three flagship 

reports are:

• TDA Report: DOL’s annual Findings on the Worst Forms of Child Labor (the 

Report) is mandated by the Trade and Development Act of 2000 (P.L. 106-

200) (TDA). The TDA requires that countries fulfill commitments to eliminate 

the worst forms of child labor to be eligible for certain U.S. trade preference 

programs. The Report focuses on the efforts of certain U.S. trade beneficiary 

countries to implement these commitments through their legislation, 

enforcement efforts, policies, and social programs. In addition, the Report 

presents findings on the prevalence and sectoral distribution of the worst forms 
TAB 1: Agency Organizational Overview

3

of child labor in each country. ILAB’s 2015 TDA Report presents information 

on the worst forms of child labor in 137 countries and territories.

• TVPRA List/Report: The Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act 

of 2005 (P.L. 109-164) (TVPRA) mandates that ILAB “develop and make 

available to the public a list of goods from countries that ILAB has reason to 

believe are produced by forced labor or child labor in violation of international 

standards.” ILAB published its initial TVPRA List on September 10, 2009, 

and has since issued regular updates as required by law. With the 2016 update, 

the TVPRA List currently includes 139 goods from 75 countries and a total of 

379 items. The primary purposes of the TVPRA List are to raise public 

awareness about goods produced by forced labor and child labor and to 

promote efforts to eliminate such practices.

• Executive Order (EO) 13126 List: ILAB maintains a list of products 

pursuant to Executive Order (EO) 13126 of 1999, “Prohibition of Acquisition 

of Products Produced by Forced or Indentured Child Labor” (EO List). EO 

13126 requires U.S. federal contractors that supply products on the EO List to 

certify that they have made a good faith effort to ensure that forced or 

indentured child labor was not used in the production of those goods. In 2001, 

ILAB published procedural guidelines governing the maintenance and revision 

of the EO List and also published a list of 11 products from 2 countries made 

by forced or indentured child labor. ILAB has since updated the List 

periodically. The current EO List, last updated in 2014, includes 35 products 

from 26 countries. 

In addition, OCFT funds other research to improve the measurement of child labor and forced labor, 

including the development of survey methodologies to access information about hidden populations 

and the collection of data for national and global estimates. These reports and research efforts provide 

relevant, action-oriented data and information to determine technical assistance priorities and engage 

key stakeholders.

OCFT is the global leader in funding for technical assistance projects to combat child labor and 

forced labor around the world. As of September 2016, OCFT was actively managing and overseeing 

45 projects implemented by 23 organizations in 61 countries, worth more than $275 million in active 

programming to combat child labor and forced labor. OCFT anticipates awarding by December 31, 

2016, a total of $47.5 million in FY 2016 appropriated funds for new technical assistance 

programming.

Projects take a variety of approaches but typically focus on specific economic sectors and geographic 

areas where child labor or forced labor is known to be prevalent. OCFT’s programs increase access to 

quality education and training; improve household livelihoods; mainstream children and adults into 

national social protection programs; build government capacity to address child labor through 

legislation, policies, programs and enforcement; and support research and reliable data collection on 

child labor. OCFT’s technical cooperation projects also provide decent work opportunities for 

vulnerable youth of legal working age, promote occupational safety and health, and include rigorous 

impact evaluations to provide evidence-based learning about which interventions are most effective. 
TAB 1: Agency Organizational Overview

4

In carrying out this work, OCFT often works in partnership with international and nongovernmental 

organizations, worker and employer groups, other civil society actors, host governments, and the 

private sector. 

Through its policy engagement efforts, OCFT assists in the development and implementation of U.S. 

government policy on international child labor, forced labor, and human trafficking. OCFT engages 

strategically with international organizations, foreign governments, businesses, labor and civil society 

groups to support development of standards and implementation of sustainable models to reduce 

exploitative labor practices. In the area of supply chain engagement, for example, OCFT has produced 

Reducing Child Labor and Forced Labor: A Toolkit for Responsible Businesses, a free, comprehensive 

online resource specifically targeted to assist companies in combating these labor abuses in their 

supply chains. OCFT also engages intensively in the interagency context on child labor, forced labor, 

and human trafficking to shape policy and focus high-level attention on these issues.

Each year, OCFT raises awareness about child labor, forced labor and human trafficking issues by 

regularly engaging with civil society, industry, and business organizations through a variety of events 

and dialogues. In addition, OCFT administers the Iqbal Masih Award, given annually to an individual, 

company or country for extraordinary efforts to combat child labor, and uses this annual award to raise 

awareness of the issue. OCFT also uses social media and the web to continually highlight the topics of 

child labor and forced labor and to spread awareness of its research and technical assistance efforts. 

One recent example is the Sweat & Toil Mobile App, which draws from more than 1,000 pages of 

information on child labor and forced labor from the latest TDA Report, TVPRA List, and EO 13126 

List in the form of an easily navigable mobile application.

B. Office of Economic and Labor Research (OELR)

The mission of the Office of Economic and Labor Research (OELR) is to ensure that research 

informs ILAB programs, policies, and reports. To fulfill its mission, OELR maintains programs 

of research in the following areas:

• The effects of international trade and economic policies and developments on earnings, 

employment, and working conditions;

• Cross-country comparative and macroeconomic analyses, with a focus on labor markets; 

and,

• Improved methods to ensure compliance with, and enforcement of, workers’ rights 

internationally.

OELR’s research products include:

• Reports mandated by Congress or the Administration, particularly related to the 

employment and labor market impacts of free trade agreements; 

• The monthly ILAB Economic and Labor Research Digest of four summary briefings each 

discussing a new academic or professional research paper that is relevant to ILAB;

• The weekly ILAB Global Economic Briefing of 2 or 3 summary assessments of 

economic data recently released by statistical agencies of G20 economies; and
TAB 1: Agency Organizational Overview

5

• Staff- or externally-funded research papers describing original theoretical, empirical, or 

synthesis research.

OELR coordinates with OTLA in performing research and analyses related to trade and with 

OIR in relation to research needs of various international organizations. Currently, OELR is 

particularly active in the work of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development 

(OECD), a “think-tank” governed by its 34 member countries. The Deputy Director serves as 

the Chair of the OECD Employment, Labor and Social Affairs Committee, which sets the agenda 

for OECD work on labor markets and related policy. OELR also staffs the OECD Working 

Party on Employment, which is a technical peer review body for the annual OECD Employment 

Outlook.

C. Office of International Relations (OIR)

ILAB’s Office of International Relations leads DOL’s participation in a number of international 

organizations, provides technical and policy expertise on global labor issues, and plays a lead 

role in supporting labor-related diplomacy. OIR’s work includes policy development, outreach 

efforts to stakeholders, advocacy and representation, dialogue and consultations, and policy 

research and analysis. 

A major focus of OIR is representing the U.S. government at the International Labor 

Organization (ILO), the U.N. agency that sets labor standards and addresses global labor and 

employment issues. With a tripartite membership comprising government, worker, and 

employer representatives, the ILO provides a unique forum in which to advance U.S. priorities 

related to employment, worker rights, social protection and emerging global workforce and 

workplace issues. At the ILO, OIR serves as the lead USG agency on matters relating to the 

development and supervision of ILO labor standards; represents the USG at the ILO Governing 

Body and the annual International Labor Conference; oversees required US submissions 

pertaining to ratified and unratified standards; and coordinates the activities of the President’s 

Committee on the ILO, including efforts to promote US ratification of ILO standards. OIR 

works closely with U.S. employer and worker representatives on ILO activities and priorities.

OIR also leads on cross-cutting global labor issues and promotes a more inclusive model of 

global economic growth through its engagement on the labor and employment components of the 

G20 and G7, the Organization of American State’s Inter-American Conference of Labor 

Ministers (IACML), Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), the U.S.- EU Labor Dialogue, 

the United Nations and other international organizations. This work entails providing expertise, 

advice, research and analysis regarding labor and employment trends and issues, including 

sustainable development, gender, disability, social protection, employment generation, 

nondiscrimination and immigration. OIR works to ensure that U.S. priorities related to 

inequality, female labor force participation, disconnected youth, and safe and healthy workplaces 

are reflected in the statements and commitments of multilateral bodies.

Bilaterally, OIR engages foreign governments to promote policies that improve access to 

employment, labor rights and living standards of workers and best employment practices for 

employers. In some cases these activities include formal memoranda of understanding, bilateral 

dialogues, and technical cooperation programs on labor and employment matters. OIR also 
TAB 1: Agency Organizational Overview

6

facilitates the sharing of information between DOL’s domestic agencies and their counterparts in 

other countries to promote best practices and workplace innovations both overseas and at home. 

OIR currently leads bilateral dialogues and processes with Argentina, Brazil, China, the 

European Union, India, and Vietnam. OIR plays a key role in the conduct of USG labor 

diplomacy by collaborating with the State Department to train their officials on labor issues and 

by facilitating the posting of DOL staff in overseas embassies as labor attaches. 

OIR is organized into two units:

• Bilateral Relations: This division monitors key developments around the world; prepares 

material for senior DOL staff and for other USG officials addressing labor issues in 

bilateral meetings; oversees bilateral relationships, including labor dialogues and the 

exchange of best practices; and manages the international visitor, labor diplomacy, and 

labor attaché programs. 

• Multilateral Relations and Global Issues: This division coordinates USG participation in 

ILO, G20, OECD, APEC, the IACML, the U.S.-EU Dialogue, and the United Nations 

and develops USG positions on global labor issues such as social protection, employment 

and nondiscrimination.

D. Office of Trade and Labor Affairs (OTLA)

The mission of the Office of Trade and Labor Affairs (OTLA) is to promote workers’ rights 

through existing and new trade mechanisms and to help ensure that the benefits of international 

trade are more evenly shared. OTLA negotiates, monitors, and enforces the labor provisions in 

free trade agreements, as well as country and producer-level commitments on labor for 

preference programs and multilateral development bank loans. OTLA’s goal is to ensure that 

strong commitments based on internationally recognized labor standards are included in trade 

and investment instruments and that trade partners fulfill their labor-related commitments. 

To assist countries in complying with their labor-related trade commitments, OTLA designs and 

manages technical assistance projects to improve workers’ rights in trade partner countries. 

These projects strengthen the capacity of governments, workers, and employers to promote 

compliance with international labor standards and help countries remediate the labor-related 

problems that OTLA identifies through its monitoring and engagement work. In fulfilling its 

mission, OTLA works closely with other government agencies, most notably with the Office of 

the U.S. Trade Representative and the Department of State. OTLA also coordinates DOL’s 

engagement with key public stakeholders from the employer and labor communities on trade and 

labor issues. 

OTLA has three divisions:

• Division of Trade Policy and Negotiations (TPN) - Represents ILAB in the development 

of trade-related labor policy, administers labor aspects of U.S. trade preference programs, 

and participates in the negotiation of trade and investment agreements.

• Division of Technical Assistance and Cooperation (TAC) - Implements international 

technical assistance programs to improve respect for worker rights.
TAB 1: Agency Organizational Overview

7

• Division of Monitoring and Enforcement of Trade Agreements (META) - Fulfills several 

functions related to the labor-related provisions of U.S. free trade agreements (FTAs), 

including assessing labor laws and conditions in FTA countries, reviewing and issuing 

reports concerning complaints alleging violations of FTA labor provisions, and engaging 

with the FTA partners to resolve any concerns pertaining to the labor provisions.
TAB 1: Agency Organizational Overview

8

Workforce At-A-Glance
TAB 1: Agency Organizational Overview

9

Organizational Changes During the Past Eight Years

In 2013, ILAB created the Office of Economic and Labor Research (OELR) by moving the 

division of Economic and Labor Research out of the Office of Trade and Labor Affairs to 

establish a new office. The reorganization was carried out to elevate the research function in 

ILAB and to facilitate greater interaction between the research team and all of the offices of 

ILAB. New Office Director and Deputy Director positions were created as part of the 

reorganization.

The other major organizational change to have taken place in recent years is the establishment of 

a DOL labor attache program. Through this program, ILAB employees are posted to work on 

labor and employment issues in U.S. embassies in countries in which ILAB has a strategic 

interest. Since 2014, ILAB has worked with the Department of State to establish labor attache 

positions in Bangladesh, Colombia, and Vietnam. ILAB is currently working to staff a new 

position in Honduras and is identifying other embassies in which to consider expanding this 

successful program. 

Key Leaders 

Carol Pier, Deputy Undersecretary

Eric Biel, Associate Deputy Undersecretary

Mark Mittelhauser, Associate Deputy Undersecretary

Thomas Richards, Chief of Staff

Marcia Eugenio, Director, Office of Child Labor, Forced Labor, and Human Trafficking

Gregory Schoepfle, Director, Office of Economic and Labor Research

Robert Shepard, Director, Office of International Relations

Matthew Levin, Director, Office of Trade and Labor Affairs
TAB 2: 30/60/90 Days – State of Play

10

TAB 2: 30/60/90 DAYS – STATE OF PLAY

Key Meetings, Decisions and Announcements

By end of February 2017

Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month – This is an annual observance that occurs in 

January. DOL’s observance of this month may involve Secretary-level engagement and will likely 

attract news media attention to collaborative government efforts to reduce modern slavery and 

human trafficking. 

By end of April 2017

The Secretary will be expected to attend the G20 Labor and Employment Ministerial in Bad 

Neuenahr, Germany on May 16-17, 2017. While this event will take place after the first 90 days, 

preparations for the event will need to begin in March or April. 

Key Agency Stakeholders

ILAB does not anticipate that the Secretary will need to engage key stakeholders within the first 90 

days of the Administration, with the possible exception of stakeholders in Congress related to ILAB 

appropriations issues.
TAB 3: Initiatives

11

TAB 3: INITIATIVES

Policy and Program Issues 

In support of the Department’s goal of fostering decent working conditions in the global economy, 

ILAB will continue to prioritize activities in the following areas: implementing effective and 

coordinated technical assistance to combat child labor, strengthen worker rights, and improve 

livelihoods; developing and effectively enforcing strong labor rights provisions in U.S. free trade 

agreements and preference programs; producing incisive and comprehensive information on child 

labor and worker rights in the global economy; and pursuing strong labor diplomacy and 

multilateral engagement on employment and social protection issues. ILAB is increasingly 

combining programmatic, policy, and reporting interventions to increase our impact and the 

intensity of our engagement in priority countries, such as Colombia, Vietnam, Bangladesh, 

Honduras, Mexico, and the Dominican Republic. 

ILAB will continue to work with the State Department to improve USG engagement on labor issues 

and will seek to expand the labor attache program to additional strategic countries and regions. In 

addition, ILAB will redouble its efforts to inform the implementation of domestic labor policy and 

programs through the application of international best practices in the United States and by 

fostering increased collaboration between domestic DOL agency representatives and their 

international counterparts. 

ILAB office priorities as they relate to these and other strategic outcomes and countries are 

discussed below.

Office of Child Labor, Forced Labor, and Human Trafficking

OCFT’s research and reporting will continue to serve as a basis for informing ILAB’s policy 

engagement and technical assistance strategies. OCFT aims to broaden and expand our use of 

impact evaluations to enhance our ability to help researchers and policy makers assess which 

interventions are most effective and cost-efficient in reducing child labor and forced labor and in 

raising awareness and knowledge about the negative effects such labor abuses have on children and 

families. OCFT plans to use results and findings from impact evaluations to inform and improve 

the design and implementation of its current and future projects and also makes this information 

available to the public for broader use. 

OCFT will also prioritize additional in-country staff level research and policy engagement in 

countries where there is a lack of information and government commitment to address child labor, 

forced labor, and human trafficking. The information collected will aim to increase the accuracy 

and reliability of information reported in OCFT’s flagship reports, and support policy engagement 

efforts to assist governments in addressing suggested actions identified through our reporting. In 

particular, OCFT will work with countries to address the removal of goods from OCFT’s TVPRA 

list and provide them a systematic framework for collecting information and developing systems to 

demonstrate how to remove a good from OCFT’s list. 


TAB 3: Initiatives

14

• Assessment of “future of work” issues, including technological factors creating new forms 

of work and conditions associated with this work, or new conditions under which traditional 

forms are carried out and remunerated;

With respect to methods to ensure compliance with, and enforcement of, worker rights 

internationally:

In FY 2015, OELR identified a need to study the gender-based violence (GBV) related to work lack 

of as a worker rights and working conditions issue. OELR’s and ILAB’s focus on this issue is 

unique. Our research agenda has unfolded as follows:

• In FY 2015, an existing household survey concerning working conditions in Central 

American countries was identified. The organization that developed and conducts the 

survey was assessed for capability to extend that survey to the issue of GBV. Subsequently, 

a contract was let to develop a module on GBV.

• In FY 2016, the survey module underwent pilot testing and a cooperative agreement was 

developed to implement a revised working conditions survey throughout the Central 

American region.

• In FY 2017 and subsequent years, staff efforts under this research program will concentrate 

on overseeing the cooperative agreement, which will yield over a number of years a series 

of papers based on the data.

Office of International Relations

OIR’s principal priorities in FY 2017 will be to actively promote US interests in the ILO and other 

international organizations, to build strong labor relationships with key countries, to work with the 

Department of State to implement the Labor Diplomacy program, and to increase Labor 

Department input into USG interagency policies and programs that deal with employment, social 

protection and labor standards issues. 

Specific goals in the ILO are to preserve the integrity, credibility and effectiveness of the ILO’s 

mechanisms for receiving complaints on and supervising the application of international labor 

standards; to seek the adoption of a strategic plan for 2018 – 2021 and a program and budget for 

2018-19 that reflect USG priorities; and to encourage the ILO to provide effective policy support 

that helps countries strengthen their worker rights, employment, and social protection programs. 

OIR will also continue to encourage the active pursuit of US ratification of ILO conventions, in 

keeping with the policy directive issued by the President’s Committee on the ILO in 2014.

Focusing international attention on worker rights, employment and social protection issues will be a 

major priority of OIR in its participation in other international organizations. It will promote these 

issues strongly under the German Presidency of the G20 in 2017 and at meetings of the InterAmerican Conference of Ministers of Labor and Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC). 

Representation in the UN and research on key global issues, such as labor’s role in the 2030 

Sustainable Development Agenda, gender, and migration will be strengthened. OIR will also 

participate in the USG interagency follow-up on the recommendations received by the U.S. in the 

UN Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of the US human rights record; and contribute to the USG 
TAB 3: Initiatives

15

UPR recommendations for other countries, and to the reviews of the labor records of select other 

countries. 

OIR will maintain the high-level labor dialogues with the European Union, China and Vietnam and 

add new areas of discussion, and reinvigorate the technical exchange programs with Argentina, 

Brazil and India. OIR will also continue to participate in the interagency processes that guide the 

broader U.S. strategic and economic dialogues, including engagements with countries such as 

Colombia, Cuba and Uzbekistan. OIR will also focus on ensuring strong involvement from the 

domestic agencies of DOL in these dialogues and a focus on relevant international experiences 

related to the future of work, earnings inequality, skills training, paid leave, and other issues of 

interest to the Department. 

OIR will continue to coordinate DOL’s role in support of the labor diplomacy function, wherein 

DOL-funded labor officers serve in positions at selected posts abroad. In the vast majority of 

countries, where reporting on labor and employment issues is carried out by State Department 

Foreign Service Officers and local staff, OIR will seek new opportunities to raise the profile of 

labor issues and improve the capacity for reporting, project troubleshooting, and engaging with host 

governments on labor and employment issues. OIR will continue to prioritize outreach and training 

for these officers, many of whom have had no training or background on labor issues or DOL, and 

will use new mechanisms, such as webinars, digital video conferences, and teleconferences with 

Posts, to reinforce the relationship between labor officers and DOL.

Office of Trade and Labor Affairs

In FY 2017, monitoring and enforcement of worker rights related to trade agreements and 

preference programs will continue to be one of the highest priorities for ILAB. Specific priorities 

for FY 2017 include:

• Monitoring Brunei Darussalam, Malaysia, Mexico, and Vietnam’s compliance with the 

labor provisions of the Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade agreement (FTA) and, where 

applicable, consistency plans signed with the US.

• Monitoring and engaging with the Government of Peru to press for positive steps that 

incorporate the 2016 submission report recommendations or otherwise address the concerns 

and issues raised in submission reports.

• Monitoring and engaging with the Government of Mexico on collective bargaining and 

labor justice issues, including DOL’s 2016 submission report recommendations.

• Incentivizing the Government of Dominican Republic and the Dominican sugar industry to 

make improvements in labor conditions that are consistent with submission report 

recommendations. Issuing review statements on the Dominican Republic, reporting on the 

status of any improvements in labor conditions that are consistent with submission report 

recommendations.

• Overseeing and supporting the Government of Honduras’ implementation of the USHonduras Labor Rights Monitoring and Action Plan (MAP), an agreement signed in 

December 2015, that outlines actions to address the legal, institutional, and practical 

challenges to labor law enforcement in Honduras identified in OTLA’s review of a labor 

TAB 3: Initiatives

17

• Completing and submitting reports that provide comprehensive analysis of all Trans-Pacific 

Partnership FTA negotiating partners’ compliance with international labor standards.

Audits and Reports

ILAB is undergoing an OIG audit of OCFT’s work in the areas of technical assistance 

programming and reporting. The OIG began this audit in May 2015 and has indicated its intention 

to complete the audit in December 2016. The OIG has described its current objective for the audit 

as answering the following question: “Did ILAB effectively implement and monitor its reporting 

and technical assistance activities related to combatting child labor and forced labor?”

Management 

ILAB continues to enhance its digital content and expand its social media presence. As one of the 

first agencies within DOL to move its web content to a mobile-optimized content management 

system, ILAB served as a model for broader DOL website modernization efforts. This year, ILAB 

established its own Twitter handle to open up new channels of engagement and also launched the 

U.S. government’s first mobile app and open data on human rights, making ILAB research more 

widely and easily accessible. Through these and other channels, ILAB is setting a high standard for 

transparency by offering relevant and timely updates to our stakeholders in formats that are 

increasingly accessible and interactive.

ILAB is currently undergoing a substantial office renovation on the 5th floor of the Frances Perkins 

Building. Construction work began in August 2016 and is anticipated to be completed by February 

2017. The renovation will cover roughly 19,000 square feet and will be completed in two 

phases. The phased approach will minimize the impact on approximately 100 ILAB staff while 

maintaining an aggressive timeline for completion. The renovation is necessary in order to comply 

with space requirements and increase seating capacity to meet the growing needs of the bureau.

Calendar

- G20 Labor and Employment Ministers’ Meeting – This high-level meeting typically takes 

place in July of each year, but it will occur in May in 2017 due to the calendar of German 

elections during the German G20 presidency. The location varies each year as the G20 

presidency rotates.

- Annual Conference of the International Labor Organization – This occurs for two weeks 

each year in late May/early June in Geneva, Switzerland. High-level participation in the 

conference is usually required during the second week.

- Release of TDA Report on Worst Forms of Child Labor: This report is typically released in 

September of each year, per Congressional mandates. Every other year, the TVPRA list of 

good made with forced labor or child labor is also updated and released with the report. 

- Procurement Deadline – ILAB receives 15-month funding for its technical assistance 

programs, so all project funds need to be obligated by December 31st each year. 

TAB 4: Budget

19

Upcoming Issues

• ILAB’s grants funding continues to be an area of focus for the appropriations committees. 

Additional attention has been focused on ILAB’s free trade agreement-related 

responsibilities. 

Staff Contacts

Janice Blake-Green, Agency Budget Officer

Departmental Management

Blake.Green.Janice@dol.gov

202-693-4452



TAB 5: Agency Performance

23

decisions of IACML/OAS’s working group meetings.

Bangladesh ILAB is working with the Government of Bangladesh to build 

capacity to enforce the country's laws, regulations, and 

policies related to labor. These efforts demonstrate ILAB’s 

priority goal to improve labor inspectorates.

Milestone 4 Milestone 5

Uzbekistan ILAB and the ILO will work with the Government of 

Uzbekistan and other social partners to implement newlyenacted national action plans to eliminate forced labor and 

child labor and improve labor conditions, employment and 

social protection of workers in the agricultural sector.

Milestone 3 Milestone 5

Peru In FY 2017, an ILAB-supported project will work with the 

Government of Peru on the implementation of a labor 

inspector protocol on forced labor that outlines procedures 

and responsibilities for implementing the country’s 

integrated strategy to combat forced labor. 

Milestone 3 Milestone 5

Vietnam This priority will capture ILAB’s efforts to assist the 

Government of Viet Nam to meet the labor requirements of 

the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement, including the USViet Nam Plan for the Enhancement of Trade and Labor 

Relations (Consistency Plan). Specifically, ILAB will assist in 

Viet Nam’s drafting of laws, decrees or regulations, and other 

legal instruments as agreed upon in the Consistency Plan; 

and, creation and implementation of a new industrial 

relations system to register and protect trade unions of 

workers’ own choosing.

Milestone 3 Milestone 4

Colombia This priority includes ILAB's USG interagency policy 

negotiation process and progress on convincing the 

Government of Colombia to adopt ILAB's proposed policy 

changes. These proposed changes, included as 

recommendations in ILAB' review of the Colombia 

submission, will include streamlining the fine collection 

process, implementing a strategic plan for inspections, and 

increasing the number of prosecutions for criminal violations 

of worker rights.

Milestone 0 Milestone 2

Malaysia This priority will capture ILAB’s efforts to assist the 

Government of Malaysia to meeting the labor requirements 

of the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement, including the 

Malaysia-United States Labor Consistency Plan. Specifically, 

ILAB will assist in Malaysia’s drafting laws, decrees or 

regulations, and other legal instruments as agreed upon in 

the Consistency Plan; and, education of relevant dispute 

resolution, judicial and law enforcement authorities to the 

content of and obligations under ILO core conventions (both 

ratified and non-ratified).

Milestone 3 Milestone 4