Statement from AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka on the first NAFTA renegotiation round: `
The North American Free Trade Agreement has flat-out failed working people. For more than two decades, NAFTA has damaged communities and lowered wages for working people across North America. As renegotiations begin today, there is an incredible opportunity to replace this fundamentally flawed trade deal with new rules that work for working families. But how we do it matters. The administration can choose to use this opportunity to benefit working families, or it can further rig the rules to favor corporations and CEOs.
We are setting the bar high. We will only accept a deal that is renegotiated the right way. That means having a transparent process in which working families have a seat at the table, and ensuring that our freedom to stand together is protected and that all of us can receive a fair return on our hard work. We need to replace benefits for the few with a fair deal that raises wages, stops outsourcing and provides a path to the middle class, no matter where working families live or what their background is. America’s working people have earned this. We deserve nothing less.
Contact: Gonzalo Salvador (202) 637-5018