IAM Union International Affairs Director Peter Greenberg testified before the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR), urging for stronger and enforceable labor standards during the upcoming review of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA).
The union expressed concerns that existing weaknesses in the USMCA contribute to outsourcing, reduced labor protections, and economic insecurity for workers across North America. Greenberg highlighted ongoing issues with the agreement’s impact on labor conditions in Mexico and the continued loss of manufacturing and aerospace jobs in both 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 strengthening rules of origin, expanding Labor Value Content requirements, and ensuring that goods moving duty-free under USMCA are actually produced within North America. The union stated that its members support commercial aviation and national defense by building advanced aircraft and engines.
According to IAM Union representatives, current provisions allow products with significant non-North American content—especially from China—to enter duty-free into the U.S., which undermines domestic aerospace manufacturing as well as supply chains shared with Canada.
Greenberg referenced findings from the Independent Mexico Labor Expert Board (IMLEB), which reported ongoing failures by Mexican authorities to enforce core labor rights or penalize employers who violate them. The union argued that without stronger enforcement measures—including more funding for monitoring through the U.S. Department of Labor and meaningful penalties—Mexican workers will continue lacking necessary 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 these hearings organized by USTR on USMCA implementation, testimony was also delivered by IAM’s Maine Lobstering Union calling attention to inequities within the agreement affecting Maine’s lobstermen. These included unequal conservation rules and inconsistent enforcement across borders that threaten local livelihoods and community stability.
The IAM Union submitted formal comments urging administration officials to enhance labor enforcement mechanisms within USMCA, raise wage standards across member countries, and close loopholes enabling further offshoring of key manufacturing jobs throughout North America.
