THE ILO CORE STANDARDS DECLARATION: Changing the Climate for Changing the Law

Abstract

Labor law in the United States is deeply entrenched against domestic pressure for change, let alone international influence. It is no surprise, then, that nearly five years after its adoption, the International Labor Organization’s (ILO) 1998 Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work has not had a direct impact on American workers’ right to organize. On closer examination, however, there appears to be a “climate changing” effect that could move U.S. labor law toward the human rights framework of the Declaration.