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The Bureau of International Labor Affairs (ILAB) is an operating unit of the United States Department of Labor which manages the Department's international responsibilities. According to its mission statement:

“ILAB conducts research on and formulates international economic, trade, immigration, and labor policies in collaboration with other U.S. Government agencies and provides international technical assistance in support of U.S. foreign labor policy objectives.”

ILAB promotes the economic security and stability of United States workers in international affairs and provides advice and statistics on policy decisions which have U.S. Labor concerns. The Bureau also represents the United States at trade negotiations and at international bodies like the International Labor Organization (ILO), the World Trade Organization (WTO), and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). It also provides technical assistance to foreign countries in the interest of benefiting the United States and additionally works with other government agencies to combat child labor and human trafficking abroad and in the United States.

The Bureau of International Labor Affairs is located in the Francis Perkins Building, Room C-4325, 200 Constitution Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20210. It is currently under the direction of Acting Deputy Under Secretary for International Affairs Marcia Eugenio.

History
The Bureau of International Labor Affairs was formed October 10, 1947 during the administration of President Harry S. Truman under the direction of Lewis B. Schwellenbach as a means to formally institutionalize the international directives of the Department of Labor. Since its creation, ILAB has helped pass the Trade Agreements Act of 1979, aided the introduction of the United States of America into the International Labor Organization (ILO), and administered the North American Agreement on Labor Cooperation (NAALC), the portion of  the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) which dealt with trade relations and required the establishment of a department in each member state to provide information about labor conditions in that country.

Child Labor, Human Trafficking and Forced Labor
In 1993, the United States Congress directed the Secretary of Labor, Robert Reich at the time, to identify foreign industries and countries which export goods to the United States which were produced using child labor. Responsibility for this project was given to ILAB which published the first of its reports on the subject: The Sweat and Toil of Children: The Use of Child Labor in American Imports.

In January 2001, President Bill Clinton signed Executive Order 13126 which prohibited the purchase of items which were produced by forced or indentured labor. It also authorized the Department of Labor to compile a list of items and their respective countries which would be banned. This fell under the purview of the Bureau of International Labor Affairs. The current list, as compiled by ILAB, consists of 11 products including bamboo, beans, rice, rubber, shrimp, and sugarcane. All of which originate in Burma with one additionally produced in Pakistan. ILAB has spent more than $250 million to combat child labor since 1995.

International Technical Cooperation
ILAB provides technical assistance with other countries in the areas of technical expertise, worker health, and working conditions with the goal of benefiting U.S. foreign policy. This program began in the aftermath of World War II when the Department of Labor taught German trade unionists to assist in European reconstruction efforts.

In 1975, ILAB worked with the Government of Saudi Arabia to develop a vocational training program and in 1989, after the passage of the Support for Eastern European Democracy Act (SEED), ILAB aided economies that were transitioning to a more open economic system to develop labor markets. Additionally, ILAB has undertaken various social initiatives globally including a $10 million project to combat the spread of HIV/AIDS in workers. These initiatives are all aimed at providing stability to an interconnected global economy in which labor issues in foreign countries can have negative effects in the United States.

Subunits

 * Office of Trade and Labor Affairs (OTLA)
 * Trade Policy and Negotiations Division
 * Economic and Labor Research Division
 * Trade Agreement Administration and Technical Cooperation Division
 * Office of International Relations(OIR)
 * Office of Child Labor, Forced Labor and Human Trafficking(OCFT)
 * Operation Division
 * Africa Division
 * Latin America and Caribbean Division
 * Asia/Europe/MENA Division

Related Legislation

 * Executive Order 13126
 * Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008(“Farm Bill”)
 * Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act(TVPRA)