Abstract

"Cold War Battles at the International Labor Organization (ILO): the Role of US Business in Co-Creating International Labor Standards (1947-1989)"

Janick Marina Schaufelbuehl, University of Lausanne (JanickMarina.Schaufelbuehl@unil.ch)

The ILO represented a unique platform where employers, labor unions, and government representatives came together to define international work standards. This paper examines the role played by US business representatives at the ILO in the context of the Cold War. More specifically it discusses how the US business leaders in the International Employers Organization (IEO)—the organization which organized business representations at the ILO—promoted their interests in interaction with Eastern bloc representatives and international organized labor. The contribution is based on archival documents of the ILO archives, as well as on records from US business associations involved in the ILO.