Statement from AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka on the latest developments surrounding the “new” North American Free Trade Agreement:
The text we have reviewed, even before the confirmation that Canada will remain part of NAFTA, affirms that too many details still need to be worked out before working people make a final judgment on a deal. Our history of witnessing unfair trade deals destroy the lives of working families demands the highest level of scrutiny before receiving our endorsement.
Added protections for working people and some reductions in special privileges for global companies is a good start, but we still don’t know whether this new deal will reverse the outsourcing incentives present in the original NAFTA. It also is critical that we see what final labor enforcement, auto rules of origin and government purchasing provisions will look like. We recognize U.S. Trade Representative Robert E. Lighthizer’s work to address these concerns, and we look forward to continue collaborating with him and his team to ensure that working people in the United States, Canada and Mexico get the renegotiated trade agreement we all deserve.
America’s working families want the three countries to go back to the table and finish the work, and we will be right there with them, fighting for rules that will create good, high-wage jobs, protect our environment and safeguard our democracy.
Contact: Gonzalo Salvador (202) 637-5018