Trump’s Anti-Worker Foreign Policy – Foreign Policy

Report on United States Labor Policy and its Implications for Sustainable Development Goals

1.0 Introduction: Policy Impact on Decent Work and Economic Growth (SDG 8)

Recent domestic and foreign policies enacted by the United States government have significantly undermined international labor rights and standards. These actions present a direct challenge to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 8, which calls for the promotion of sustained, inclusive, and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment, and decent work for all. This report analyzes the specific policy changes and their detrimental effects on global progress towards the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

2.0 Domestic Policy Impact on Labor Rights

The administration’s domestic policies have established a precedent that weakens protections for workers, directly contravening the principles of SDG 8. Key actions include:

• Reversal of wage increases and federal regulations designed to protect worker rights and safety.
• Elimination of over 300,000 federal employee positions by the end of 2025.
• Removal of collective bargaining rights for approximately 500,000 workers.
• Cessation of enforcement for established labor standards, jeopardizing worker safety and fair compensation.

These measures contribute to increased inequality (SDG 10) and undermine the creation of decent work opportunities.

3.0 Weakening of International Institutions and Partnerships (SDG 16 & SDG 17)

The U.S. has actively weakened key international bodies responsible for upholding global labor standards, undermining SDG 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions) and SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals).

3.1 The International Labor Organization (ILO)

Actions taken against the ILO, a critical institution for setting global labor standards, include:

• Preventing representatives from the AFL-CIO, the largest U.S. federation of unions, from joining the official U.S. delegation to the ILO’s annual conference. This silenced the voice of American labor in negotiations on the gig economy and workplace safety.
• Implementing foreign assistance cuts that resulted in the loss of 225 jobs globally at the ILO, diminishing the organization’s capacity to gather data and implement programs that combat issues like forced labor.

3.2 Multilateral Engagement

The administration has signaled a deprioritization of labor issues in global forums. For the upcoming Group of 20 (G20) presidency in 2026, there are no announced plans to include discussions on labor or employment, breaking with nearly two decades of precedent and hindering progress on SDG 8.

4.0 Termination of Foreign Assistance Programs and Direct SDG Setbacks

The abrupt termination of over $700 million in technical assistance programs funded by the Department of State, Department of Labor, and USAID represents a significant setback for multiple SDGs. These programs were instrumental in promoting labor rights and combating exploitation in global supply chains.

1. Violation of SDG 8.7 (End Forced Labor and Human Trafficking): The cancellation of a program combating forced labor in Cambodian cyber scams, which have defrauded U.S. citizens, directly impedes efforts to eradicate modern slavery. The success of previous efforts, such as the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, demonstrates the critical role of such programs.
2. Erosion of SDG 8.8 (Safe and Secure Working Environments): Programs providing occupational health and safety training to workers in hazardous sectors, such as nickel smelting in Indonesia and critical mineral mining in Zambia, have been terminated. This leaves vulnerable workers at greater risk of injury and death.
3. Reversal of Progress on SDG 5 (Gender Equality): A decade-long USAID program in Bangladesh, which empowered women garment workers to address workplace violence and negotiate collective bargaining agreements, has been halted. This abandons female workers in sectors with high rates of violence and exploitation.
4. Increased Violence Against Activists (SDG 16.1): The withdrawal of U.S. support has left labor organizers vulnerable. Recent murders of a union organizer in Bangladesh and a trade union leader in Guatemala, both affiliated with organizations that relied on U.S. support, highlight the severe consequences of these funding cuts.

5.0 Economic Consequences and Contradiction of Previous Policy

The current approach contrasts sharply with previous bipartisan efforts, such as the allocation of $180 million for labor reform in Mexico under the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). That investment helped level the economic playing field by ensuring fairer labor practices in a key trading partner, resulting in wage increases and independent union elections for over 43,000 workers.

By dismantling programs that address overseas labor abuses, the administration fosters a “race to the bottom” in labor conditions. This creates an unfair competitive environment that ultimately harms U.S. businesses and workers, undermining the goal of shared prosperity inherent in the SDGs.

6.0 Conclusion

The administration’s policies demonstrate a systematic dismantling of domestic and international frameworks designed to protect workers’ rights. This approach directly obstructs progress toward key Sustainable Development Goals, including SDG 8 (Decent Work), SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities), SDG 5 (Gender Equality), and SDG 16 (Strong Institutions). The elimination of global labor programs and the weakening of international partnerships threaten to reverse decades of progress, increase exploitation in global supply chains, and negatively impact the economic security of workers both at home and abroad.

Analysis of Sustainable Development Goals in the Article

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

1. SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth

   • The article’s central theme is the undermining of labor rights, worker safety, and fair wages, which are core components of SDG 8. It discusses issues like “reversing wage increases,” abandoning “labor standards,” combating “forced labor,” and the importance of collective bargaining rights.

2. SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

   • The article highlights the weakening of institutions that protect workers and the prevalence of violence against labor activists. It mentions the administration has “gutted institutions that enforce labor standards” and provides specific examples of a “union organizer who was brazenly murdered” in Bangladesh and a “trade union leader killed” in Guatemala, directly connecting to the goal of reducing violence and promoting justice.

3. SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities

   • By discussing how undermining labor rights overseas creates an “unfair competitive advantage” and fosters a “race to the bottom in labor conditions,” the article touches on the economic inequalities between workers globally. Policies that strip collective bargaining and suppress wages exacerbate inequality within and among countries.

4. SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals

   • The article details the U.S. administration’s withdrawal of support from key international partnerships for labor. This includes cutting foreign assistance to the International Labor Organization (ILO), preventing U.S. labor representatives from participating in the ILO’s conference, and not planning to discuss labor issues at the G20 presidency.

5. SDG 5: Gender Equality

   • While not the main focus, the article makes a specific connection to SDG 5 by mentioning a now-defunded USAID program in Bangladesh that “enabled women garment workers to address workplace violence,” a key aspect of ensuring women’s safety and empowerment in the workplace.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

1. Under SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth):

   • Target 8.7: Take immediate and effective measures to eradicate forced labor. The article explicitly discusses programs aimed at “combating forced labor” in contexts like “Uzbekistan’s export cotton industry,” Chinese supply chains via the “Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act,” and “Cambodian cyber scams.”
   • Target 8.8: Protect labour rights and promote safe and secure working environments for all workers. This is the article’s core focus, evidenced by discussions on undermining “labor rights,” gutting “labor standards that ensure that workers come home safe,” and defunding programs that supported “workplace safety in dangerous sectors such as critical mineral mining.”

2. Under SDG 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions):

   • Target 16.1: Significantly reduce all forms of violence and related death rates everywhere. This is directly addressed with the examples of the murdered union organizer in Bangladesh and the killed trade union leader in Guatemala, whose organizations relied on U.S. support that was cut.
   • Target 16.3: Promote the rule of law… and ensure equal access to justice for all. The cancellation of U.S. programs that “provided legal support… for workers and unions” is a direct setback for this target.
   • Target 16.6: Develop effective, accountable and transparent institutions at all levels. The article claims the administration has “gutted institutions that enforce labor standards,” which directly relates to weakening institutional effectiveness.

3. Under SDG 5 (Gender Equality):

   • Target 5.2: Eliminate all forms of violence against all women and girls. The article points to the termination of a USAID program that specifically helped “women garment workers to address workplace violence.”

4. Under SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals):

   • Target 17.16: Enhance the global partnership for sustainable development. The article describes actions that weaken this partnership, such as the “U.S. foreign assistance cuts to the ILO” and preventing the AFL-CIO from joining the “official U.S. delegation to the International Labor Organization’s (ILO) annual conference.”

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

1. Indicators for SDG 8:

   • Number of workers whose collective bargaining rights are affected: The article states the administration “has stripped collective bargaining rights for nearly half a million workers.”
   • Percentage of wage increases negotiated through collective bargaining: The USMCA case for General Motors workers in Silao resulted in a new agreement with “more than 10 percent wage increases for most workers.”
   • Amount of backpay secured for workers: The article mentions that enforcement of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade agreement (USMCA) resulted in “nearly $6 million in worker backpay.”
   • Value of goods produced with forced labor blocked from import: The Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act has kept “billions of dollars’ worth of imports made by Chinese forced labor from entering the United States.”

2. Indicators for SDG 16:

   • Number of human rights defenders (labor activists) killed: The article provides qualitative evidence by citing the murder of a union organizer in Bangladesh in 2023 and the killing of a trade union leader in Guatemala in 2024.

3. Indicators for SDG 17:

   • Amount of funding cut from international labor programs: The article specifies a slash of “more than $700 million in technical assistance programs” funded by the Department of State, Department of Labor, and USAID.
   • Number of jobs lost in international partner organizations: The article states that “U.S. foreign assistance cuts to the ILO resulted in 225 jobs lost globally.”

4. Summary Table of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: foreignpolicy.com