Union Leaders Call for Labor Protections in NAFTA

Labor rights need to be at the forefront of NAFTA talks, assert leaders of the United Steelworkers and the United Autoworkers. In a joint statement on Oct. 12, United Steelworkers International President Leo W. Gerard and USW Canadian National Director Ken Neumann challenged negotiators to craft a NAFTA agreement that “will raise standards, ensure they are enforced and provide growth and opportunity for workers in all three countries.”

“We know firsthand the impact of failed trade policies. That impact has been devastating. Since NAFTA, wage inequality has worsened and wage growth has stagnated in both Canada and the United States. Workers’ economic security has been eroded. In Mexico, wages and working conditions have fallen further behind and workers’ rights are suppressed on a regular basis.”