A report that the Labor Department has sought to block for a year finally surfaced this week, harshly condemning labor standards in Central America. While the Labor Department, which commissioned the study, has maintained that the findings are inaccurate and biased, others argue that the report was blocked so that Congress could pass the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) without having to consider the generally poor enforcement of labor standards in the region.
See "Report Criticizes Labor Standards in Central America", Juan Forero, The New York Times, June 30, 2005