The Solidarity Center, Global March Against Child Labour, and the American Institutes for Research are filing a lawsuit against the US Department of Labor (DOL) over the termination of labor rights programs. Calling DOL’s action “unlawful,” the group is seeking to stop the cuts, the Guardian reports. They contend that Congress authorized the programs, and the secretary of labor lacks the authority to make the cancellations.
Cuts an “indiscriminate meat axe”
In March, Elon Musk’s “department of government efficiency” (Doge), announced the cancellation of around $577 million dollars in government grants. Calling the cancelled programs “America last” Doge is claiming the cuts will help American workers and businesses.
Conversely, labor rights advocates are calling the cuts an “indiscriminate meat axe.” They say American workers and businesses will suffer due to the loss of labor protections abroad. Though not currently part of the suit, the AFL-CIO and the American Apparel & Footwear Association also criticized the cuts. They said the cuts enabled the degradation of labor and business standards abroad. And that “puts American workers and American businesses last.”
Thea Lee, who served as deputy undersecretary for international labor affairs at the US Department of Labor from 2021 to 2025 said,
“It’s just so frustrating to read the shallow and useless justifications that are being put out on Twitter by the secretary of labor and the Doge crowd… It’s ignorant. It’s self-defeating, and it’s wasteful and inefficient.”
Lee also pointed out the funding cuts risked destroying decades of hard-won bipartisan business and labor agreements. Lee and other experts feel the cuts show a high level of ignorance about how the global economy works. And the lack of understanding about corporations long-term sourcing and investment decisions will have negative impacts. Impacts felt mostly by American workers, businesses, and consumers.
“If we have to leave, we are not replaced”
Significantly, experts say the reality is directly contrary to Doge’s statements. The loss of labor rights organizations will actually put American workers and businesses in greater competition with supply chains where forced labor, child labor and other human rights abuses are routinely ignored. Shawna Bader-Blau is the executive director of the Solidarity Center, a non-profit working in more than 90 countries to improve worker standards and conditions and one of the organizations filing the lawsuit.
Speaking about the impact of the cuts, Bader-Blau said:
“It’s critical to the American economy that American workers not be forced to compete with extremely exploited workers in other countries, up to and including forced and child labor in supply chains.”
Bader-Blau called the impact on her organization “devastating.” Indeed, Bader-Blau points out that these organizations are often the only external support for trade union organizing. Thus, they represent the only voice for the advancement of worker rights in the countries where they work. She said the sad fact is, “If we have to leave, we’re not replaced.”
Countering worker exploitation in the global economy
The truth is that protecting worker’s rights and rooting out forced labor and child labor in global supply chains helps, not hurts, American workers. When goods are produced using workers who are paid below a market rate or not at all, it means goods produced by workers paid a living wage can’t compete.
Nicholas Sansone, an attorney at Public Citizen Litigation Group who is representing the group lawsuit said,
“These are programs that are designed to enhance working standards throughout the world, to eliminate child labor, to eliminate forced labor, that are designed to protect the health and safety of workers everywhere. It’s for the global good that these programs continue.”
Freedom United stands in solidarity with those fighting for justice for workers everywhere, whether in the courtroom, the workplace or protesting on the streets. If you haven’t already, sign our petition in support of strong, mandatory human rights due diligence legislation in the US, UK, and EU. Standing together we can send a clear signal to the private and public sectors around the world that they will be held accountable for failing to prevent modern slavery and human rights abuses in their supply chains.
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