Hannah L. Meils (2003), "A Lesson from NAFTA : Can the FTAA Function as a Tool for Improvement in the Lives of Working Women ?", Indiana Law Journal, 78 (2) : 877-97

This Note discusses the ways in which the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) has failed to offer women laborers sufficient protections and suggests ways in which future trade agreements, particularly the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) can offer strengthened protections for women. Part I provides an overview of NAFTA, FTAA and the North American Agreement on Labor Cooperation (NAALC), a side agreement to NAFTA that deals with labor issues. Part II counters the arguments made by those who believe that labor concerns have no place within international trade agreements. Part III addresses the problems that women have faced in getting their specific needs addressed in both domestic and international law. Part IV outlines the substantive and procedural provisions contained within the NAFTA and NAALC agreements and points to specific areas where women’s labor needs were not adequately addressed. Part V urges negotiators of the FTAA to heed the failings of the NAFTA and NAALC agreements and to frame a strong, women’s-labor-friendly international trade agreement.