U.S. Violations, ILO Convention, Child Labor

WHEREAS, the United States has ratified International Labor Organization Convention No.182 on the Worst Forms of Child Labor, yet deliberate obstruction has meant the U.S. is failing to meet its obligations under the treaty; and

WHEREAS, Convention No.182 is an essential international agreement, ratified by 186 other nations; it is the first convention in ILO history to be ratified by every member state; it requires every signatory to treat the worst forms of child labor as an immediate crisis:  that is, criminalize, investigate and punish offenders; actively find and remove affected children; and ensure their recovery through education and social protection—none of which the U.S. has effectively achieved; and

WHEREAS, widespread child labor violations have been discovered in multiple states, including Arkansas, Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin, particularly in hazardous sectors such as meatpacking, agriculture, food processing, and automotive assembly, where minors have been found exposed to pesticides, working overnight shifts or operating dangerous machinery; and

WHEREAS, in recent years, state legislatures—more than 30 over the past five years—have introduced bills rolling back long-standing child labor protections; these rollbacks exploit legal loopholes that not only create a race to the bottom, but also undermine decades of progress in keeping young workers safe; and

WHEREAS, when legislation in Ohio threatened to weaken child labor protections by allowing teenagers to work later hours on school nights, it was educators and labor advocates, led by the Ohio Federation of Teachers, who mobilized to challenge the bill; their advocacy helped secure Gov. Mike DeWine’s veto of the regressive legislation, and showed the state that business economics should not come at the expense of children’s education or development; and

WHEREAS, the AFL-CIO and Education International—organizations where the AFT has membership—both have standing before the ILO in their capacity as workers’ organizations; as such, they are entitled to submit, to the ILO Governing Body, an Article 24 Representation—a formal complaint alleging U.S. government noncompliance —triggering an official review, and calling for corrective action:

RESOLVED, that the AFT will immediately call on the AFL-CIO and Education International to respectively submit to the ILO Governing Body an Article 24 Representation, with the goal of investigating and confirming noncompliance of ratified ILO Convention No.182 by the United States, and mandating specific corrective measures to bring it into compliance with international anti-child labor laws.

Adopted July 18, 2026