IAM Union International Affairs Director Peter Greenberg recently testified before the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR), urging for enforceable labor standards in the upcoming review of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). The union expressed concerns that current provisions in the agreement have not addressed issues such as outsourcing, weakened labor protections, and threats to economic security for workers across North America.
Greenberg stated that USMCA has failed to improve labor conditions in Mexico or protect manufacturing and aerospace jobs in the United States and Canada. “Unfortunately, our concerns about USMCA have proven to have been accurate: Mexican industrial wages remain lower than those in China, and offshoring of well-paid U.S. jobs continues, including many in the aerospace sector,” said Greenberg. “Since USMCA was enacted, we have seen further erosion of good, middle-class, union jobs in the United States. In order to prevent this from continuing, we need to take vigorous action during the upcoming review.”
The IAM Union called for stronger rules of origin and expanded Labor Value Content requirements to ensure goods moving duty-free under USMCA are produced within North America. The union noted that its members contribute significantly to commercial aviation and national defense by building advanced aircraft and engines.
Weaknesses in current USMCA provisions have allowed products with substantial non-North American content—especially from China—to enter the U.S. duty-free. This situation has affected domestic aerospace manufacturing and disrupted supply chains between the U.S. and Canada.
Greenberg also referenced findings from the Independent Mexico Labor Expert Board (IMLEB), which highlighted ongoing failures by Mexican authorities to enforce core labor rights or penalize employers who violate them. He emphasized that without better enforcement, increased funding for monitoring through the U.S. Department of Labor, and meaningful penalties for violators, Mexican workers will continue lacking essential rights for an independent labor system.
“The IAM Union message is simple: If we strengthen labor standards, they must be enforced. And if we enforce them, companies must not be allowed to undermine them by seeking cheaper labor elsewhere,” said IAM International President Brian Bryant. “Working families deserve a trade agreement that works for them and not against them.”
During a series of hearings on USMCA held by USTR, testimony was also delivered by IAM’s Maine Lobstering Union regarding inequities affecting Maine’s lobstermen under current agreement terms. These include unequal conservation requirements and inconsistent enforcement across borders—issues that threaten both livelihoods of working families and stability of coastal communities dependent on sustainable fishing.
The IAM Union formally submitted comments urging strengthened labor enforcement measures, higher wage standards, and closure of loopholes that allow continued offshoring of key jobs throughout North America.
