'New NAFTA' Deal Is Far from Finished

Statement from AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka on the signing of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA):

Despite today’s theatrics, the work of fixing NAFTA is far from over. As it stands, this agreement has not earned the support of America's working families. Without major improvements, this supposed overhaul will prove to be nothing more than a rebranded corporate handout.

Any progress made by this deal is meaningless without swift and certain enforcement tools to safeguard key labor protections. Real steps forward start with changes in the text, comprehensive labor law reform from Mexico and a strong implementation bill from the United States.

The Trump administration still has an opportunity to make that happen. We encourage the administration and Congress to continue working with us to deliver a fair and just agreement for working families. In addition to enforcement provisions, that means securing tools to combat outsourcing in key sectors such as aerospace, meat packing, food processing and call centers; tightening auto rules of origin; and eliminating rules that keep prescription medicine prices sky high and interfere with the creation of workplace safety and other public interest protections.

Working people have lived through the devastation of failed, corporate-written trade deals for too long. That’s why we will continue the fight for an agreement that creates good jobs and raises wages here at home while protecting the rights and dignities of workers across all borders.