[Congressional Bills 103th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2268 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

103d CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 2268

 To provide for the establishment of a working group on trade-related 
 worker rights and labor standards as part of the General Agreement on 
               Tariffs and Trade, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                 July 1 (legislative day, June 7), 1994

  Mr. Wofford (for himself, Mr. Bradley, Mr. Riegle, Mrs. Boxer, Mr. 
Metzenbaum, Mr. Campbell, Mr. Harkin, Mr. Kennedy, Mr. Dodd, Mr. Kerry, 
Ms. Mikulski, Mr. Leahy, and Mr. Levin) introduced the following bill; 
     which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To provide for the establishment of a working group on trade-related 
 worker rights and labor standards as part of the General Agreement on 
               Tariffs and Trade, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Worker Rights and Labor Standards 
Trade Act of 1994''.

SEC. 2. ESTABLISHMENT OF WORKING GROUP ON WORKER RIGHTS.

    (a) Action by the President.--The President shall seek the 
establishment as part of the GATT of a working group to examine the 
relationship of fundamental, internationally recognized worker rights 
to the articles, objectives, and related instruments of the GATT.
    (b) Objectives of Working Group.--The objectives of the working 
group described in subsection (a) are--
            (1) to explore ways to link the conduct of international 
        trade and respect for fundamental, internationally recognized 
        worker rights;
            (2) to examine the economic impact of trade distortions 
        that are attributable to the systematic denial of fundamental, 
        internationally recognized worker rights;
            (3) to consider and develop information on the incidence 
        and effects of systematic, trade-distorting worker rights 
        practices and ways to address such practices; and
            (4) to establish a procedure for preventing any country or 
        industry from gaining a competitive advantage in international 
        trade through the systematic denial of fundamental, 
        internationally recognized worker rights.
    (c) Establishment of Standing Committee on Worker Rights Within the 
World Trade Organization.--At such time as the World Trade Organization 
becomes effective, the President shall seek the establishment in the 
World Trade Organization of a standing committee on worker rights to 
which the functions and objectives of the working group described in 
section 3 shall be transferred.

SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS.

    For purposes of this Act:
            (1) The term ``fundamental, internationally recognized 
        worker rights'' shall have the meaning as defined in section 
        502(a)(4) of the Trade Act of 1974.
            (2) GATT.--The term ``GATT'' means the General Agreement on 
        Tariffs and Trade.
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