Franklin D. Roosevelt

Message to Congress Submitting Conventions Adopted at the International Labor Conference of 1936.

June 28, 1937

To the Congress:

The Congress, by a Joint Resolution approved June 19, 1934, authorized me to accept membership for the Government of the United States in the International Labor Organization. Pursuant to that authorization I accepted such membership on behalf of the Government of the United States.

Representatives of this Government and of American employers and American labor attended the Twentieth Session of the International Labor Conference, held at Geneva, June 4 to 24, 1936.

That Conference adopted three draft conventions and two recommendations, to wit:

The Draft Convention (No. 50) concerning the regulation of certain special systems of recruiting workers,

The Recommendation (No. 46) concerning the progressive elimination of recruiting,

The Draft Convention (No. 51) concerning the reduction of hours of work on public works,

The Draft Convention (No. 52) concerning annual holidays with pay,

The Recommendation (No. 47) concerning annual holidays with pay.

In becoming a member of the Organization and subscribing to its constitution this Government accepted the following undertaking in regard to such draft conventions and recommendations:

Each of the Members undertakes that it will, within the period of one year at most from the closing of the session of the Conference, or if it is impossible owing to exceptional circumstances to do so within the period of one year, then at the earliest practicable moment and in no case later than eighteen months from the closing of the session of the Conference bring the recommendation or draft convention before the authority or authorities within whose competence the matter lies, for the enactment of legislation or other action. (Article 19 (405), paragraph 5, Constitution of the International Labor Organization.)

In the case of a federal State, the power of which to enter into conventions on labor matters is subject to limitations, it shall be in the discretion of that Government to treat a draft convention to which such limitations apply as a recommendation only, and the provisions of this Article with respect to recommendations shall apply in such case. (Article 19 (405), paragraph 9, Constitution of the International Labor Organization.)

In accordance with the foregoing undertaking the above named three draft conventions and two recommendations are herewith submitted to the Congress with the accompanying report of the Secretary of State, and its enclosures, to which the attention of the Congress is invited.

I wish particularly to call to the attention of the Congress the Draft Convention (No. 51) concerning the reduction of hours of work on public works, and recommend that action be taken by the Congress on this Draft Convention at its earliest convenience.

Franklin D. Roosevelt, Message to Congress Submitting Conventions Adopted at the International Labor Conference of 1936. Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/208558

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