The US Labor Education in the Americas Project (USLEAP) works to support the basic rights of workers in Central America, Colombia, Ecuador, and Mexico, especially those who are employed directly or indirectly by U.S. companies.

Our Mission:
(1) To support worker justice in the global economy, specifically to support workers in Central America, Colombia, Ecuador and Mexico who are fighting for dignity, respect and and justice.

(2) To secure global rules for the global economy that ensure respect for the basic rights of workers.

(3) To hold U.S. corporations responsible for worker rights' violations in the factories and on the plantations from which they buy in Central America, Colombia, Ecuador, and Mexico.

(4) To support trade policies and programs that condition participation on respect for the basic rights of workers.

(5) To support the development of stronger cross-border relationships between Latin American workers and U.S. trade unions and community activists so that Latin America workers can more effectively use U.S. support campaigns to ensure their own rights.

USLEAP works with a broad spectrum of groups in the U.S., Europe, and Canada to support workers in Latin America who are fighting for a better life for their families and to overcome poverty.

Specifically, USLEAP campaigns and advocates for

* U.S. corporate responsibility, by developing and promoting campaigns and initiatives aimed at specific U.S. companies whose workers in Latin America are fighting to improve wages, working conditions, and respect for their basic rights

* fundamental trade policy changes in the global economy, by opposing trade agreements that fail to protect workers, consumers and the environment; supporting labor law reform in Latin American countries; and advocating with governments in Latin America and the U.S. to support specific worker struggles.

USLEAP also provides technical assistance to workers in Latin America.

Our major projects include:
* Banana Worker Justice Project
* Coffee Worker Justice Project
* Flower Worker Justice Project
* Sweatshop (Maquiladora Worker) Project
* Trade and Worker Rights Project
* Violence Against Colombian Trade Unionists Project

Founded in 1987 as the U.S./Guatemala Labor Education Project (U.S./GLEP) by trade unionists and human rights advocates concerned about the basic rights of Guatemalan workers, USLEAP has since expanded its work to other countries in the region.

Key Accomplishments

Coffee Worker Rights Project: Persuaded Starbucks to become the first major U.S. coffee company to agree to adopt a code of conduct and accept responsibility for the working conditions and wages of coffee workers on plantations from which Starbucks buys, thus opening an entirely new initiative in the coffee industry.

Sweatshop Initiative: Helped secure worker victories and collective bargaining agreements at Yoo Yang in Honduras and Kukdong/Mexmode in Mexico. Persuaded the Phillips-Van Heusen Corporation to sign what was the only collective bargaining agreement in Guatemala's maquiladora sector, establishing a model maquiladora for Central America that paid a living wage, respected basic rights, and provided all legally mandated benefits.

Banana Workers Project: Helped persuade Chiquita Brands to accept responsibility for the treatment of workers on "independent" suppliers and begin a dialogue with its workers at the region-wide level for that led a path-breaking regional worker rights agreement in 2001.

Trade and Worker Rights Project: Helped obtain specific advances, such as legal recognition of maquila unions in Guatemala and banana unions in Ecuador, and broader structural changes, such as increases in the minimum wage, labor law reform and new labor courts in Guatemala in the 1990s and, potentially, labor law reform in Ecuador in 2005.

Flower Worker Justice Project: Helped secure the two strongest independent union contracts in Colombian floriculture with the Dole Food Company in July 2008. These were the first contracts ever signed with the company. The unions, who had struggled for over four years, now have contracts which include wage increases and paid vacation time, among a host of other benefits.

On-site USLEAP staff-person in Colombia: As of February 2009, USLEAP is happy to announce our continuing support and dedication to the labor movement within Colombia with the addition of our new on-site staff person in the region.