For decades, the United States positioned itself as the global champion of democracy, freedom, and the rule of law. It urged other nations to protect civil liberties, strengthen democratic institutions, and defend human rights. Today, however, America faces uncomfortable scrutiny from the international community.
The International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) , representing more than 200 million workers across 169 countries, has placed the United States on its watch list for alleged systematic violations of workers’ rights. Among the concerns cited are the loss of collective bargaining rights for more than one million federal employees, weakening of labor institutions, restrictions affecting organized immigrant workers, and actions that unions argue discourage freedom of association.
According to the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), the United States is currently rated “4 – Systematic Violations of Rights,”placing it among countries where workers’ rights face persistent and serious challenges.
The current ITUC watch list in this category includes Greece, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea, Madagascar, Sri Lanka, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Tanzania, Hungary, Niger, Trinidad and Tobago, Israel, North Macedonia, Uganda, Kenya, Peru, the United States of America, Lebanon, Senegal, and Vietnam.
While the political, economic, and legal circumstances differ significantly from country to country, the ranking underscores the ITUC’s concern that workers in all of these nations face systematic obstacles to exercising internationally recognized labor rights, including freedom of association and collective bargaining.
Whether one agrees with every conclusion of the report or not, the symbolism is striking. The country that once evaluated others is now being evaluated itself.
For the travel and tourism industry, this should not be viewed as merely another political debate. It is an economic, social, and industry-wide issue that reaches from hotel housekeeping departments in Las Vegas to cruise ship crews sailing the Caribbean, from airline cabin crews in Asia to restaurant workers in Europe and Africa.
Tourism Depends on People
Travel and tourism often celebrates itself as “the industry of people.” It is an attractive slogan—but one that demands substance.
Behind every five-star hotel stands a housekeeper. Behind every luxury cruise is a multinational crew working long contracts far from home. Behind every airport experience are baggage handlers, customer service agents, pilots, security personnel, mechanics, cleaners, chefs, waiters, drivers, guides, entertainers, and countless others whose names guests may never know.
Without workers, tourism simply does not exist. Yet labor has frequently become the invisible cost center rather than the industry’s greatest investment.
Across the world, tourism has become increasingly concentrated. Global hotel brands continue expanding through franchise and management agreements. Airlines merge into mega-carriers. Cruise corporations dominate entire regions. Online booking platforms increasingly dictate pricing and customer acquisition.
This concentration creates efficiencies—but also enormous market power. The question is whether that same power is being matched by equal responsibility.
America Sets More Than Domestic Standards
What happens in the United States rarely stays in the United States.
The world’s largest travel economy influences labor practices, investment decisions, and corporate governance across continents. If collective bargaining becomes weaker in America, multinational corporations operating globally may feel encouraged to seek similar flexibility elsewhere.
- Investors notice.
- Governments notice.
- Employers notice.
- The hospitality industry notices.
The tourism sector has already experienced this dynamic after COVID-19. While many companies struggled to survive, many also emerged leaner—with fewer employees expected to perform more work.
- Labor shortages became the industry’s dominant conversation.
- Perhaps they were never simply labor shortages.
- Perhaps they were trust shortages.
Tourism’s Hidden Workforce
Nowhere is this more visible than in cruising.
Cruise ships employ multinational crews operating under complex legal jurisdictions, often registered under flags of convenience. Employees may come from the Philippines, Indonesia, India, Eastern Europe, Latin America, or Africa while serving passengers from North America and Europe.
These workers frequently spend months away from their families. The industry has made considerable progress in crew welfare, training, safety, and career development.
But it also remains one of the sectors where questions about contracts, representation, working hours, and bargaining power continue to surface.
Similarly, major hotel groups increasingly rely on subcontractors, outsourced services, and temporary staffing agencies. Independent restaurants compete with international chains possessing enormous purchasing power.
The imbalance between employer and worker is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore.
What About Small Businesses?
Ironically, the strongest advocates for fair labor practices are often not the largest corporations. They are small and medium-sized tourism enterprises.
- Family-owned hotels.
- Independent restaurants.
- Destination management companies.
- Local tour operators.
- Small cruise operators.
- Community tourism businesses.
These enterprises compete for talent by creating workplaces where employees stay because they are respected—not because contracts force them to remain. Yet SMEs often have the weakest voice in global tourism policy.
That should change.
Is Silence Becoming Industry Policy?
One uncomfortable question deserves asking.
Why has the global tourism leadership remained relatively quiet when workers’ rights become international headlines?
Organizations such as UN Tourism, the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), the International Air Transport Association (IATA), and international hotel and restaurant organizations have become increasingly influential in shaping industry policy.
Collectively, they speak for governments, airlines, airports, hotels, destinations, cruise operators, investors, and increasingly, sustainability.
Should they also become stronger advocates for labor rights? Or does remaining neutral better serve their largest corporate members?
Neither answer is simple.
Large multinational companies understandably seek regulatory stability, operational flexibility, and competitive costs. But tourism’s long-term sustainability depends equally upon stable, skilled, motivated workforces.
Ignoring one side ultimately weakens the other.
A New Opportunity for Women Leaders
There is another remarkable dimension to today’s tourism leadership.
For perhaps the first time in history, many of the world’s most influential tourism organizations are led by women.
- This is more than symbolism.
- It represents an opportunity.
Leadership styles frequently evolve with new perspectives, and today’s tourism challenges require collaboration more than competition.
Imagine if UN Tourism, WTTC, IATA, international hotel associations, restaurant organizations, cruise industry leaders, labor experts, and governments jointly established a permanent Global Tourism Workforce Forum.
- Not another conference.
- Not another declaration.
A practical platform where employers, workers, unions, SMEs, academics, and policymakers exchange data, identify emerging labor risks, share best practices, and build smarter workforce policies.
WTTC is uniquely positioned to help lead such an initiative.
Unlike many business organizations, it represents both the world’s largest travel companies and increasingly recognizes the importance of small and medium-sized enterprises. Nearly one-third of its membership base is connected to the United States, while its global reach extends across every continent.
This diversity could transform WTTC into something even more valuable: a genuine melting pot of ideas where multinational corporations learn from SMEs as much as SMEs benefit from global expertise.
Such leadership would not only strengthen public policy.vIt would enhance the reputation of every company choosing to participate.
Corporate responsibility is becoming a competitive advantage. Travelers increasingly notice. Employees certainly do. Investors increasingly do as well.
Democracy Begins at Work
The original German commentary from Katzenblog makes an important philosophical argument.
Workers’ rights are not only about wages. They are about citizenship.
The workplace is often the first place where individuals learn negotiation, participation, representation, compromise, and democratic engagement.
That observation deserves attention far beyond politics. Tourism is one of the world’s largest employers.
If millions of people experience fairness, dialogue, and mutual respect at work, those values naturally spread into communities. If they experience fear, silence, and exclusion, those lessons spread too.
A Global Industry Needs Global Responsibility
Countries mentioned in the ITUC watch list—including Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Uganda, and the Philippines—face vastly different political, economic, and institutional realities than the United States.
No comparison is perfect. Yet the point is not to equate nations.
It is to recognize that international labor standards should apply consistently, regardless of a country’s size, wealth, or geopolitical influence.
Tourism depends upon consistency.
- Guests expect it.
- Workers deserve it.
The Industry Cannot Afford Indifference
Tourism has spent years rebuilding its reputation after the pandemic.
The industry now speaks confidently about resilience, sustainability, inclusion, climate responsibility, and community engagement. Workers’ rights belong naturally within that conversation.
Not because tourism should become political. But because tourism has always been deeply human.
- The strongest destinations are built on communities.
- The strongest hotels are built on loyal employees.
- The strongest airlines are built on trusted crews.
- The strongest cruise lines are built on motivated international teams.
Perhaps the real question is not whether tourism organizations should advocate for stronger labor protections.
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