The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM Union), which represents around 600,000 members across North America, has called on the U.S. Trade Representative to take action to improve labor enforcement, raise wage standards, and address loopholes in the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) that the union says enable offshoring of jobs in aerospace, manufacturing, and other sectors.
In written comments submitted as part of the USMCA’s required six-year joint review process, the IAM Union said that insufficient labor enforcement in Mexico and inadequate rules of origin continue to threaten well-paying union jobs in both the United States and Canada. The union previously opposed both NAFTA in the 1990s and the USMCA during its adoption in 2019.
“The USMCA promised to lift standards for workers across North America, but too many companies are still chasing low wages and weak enforcement,” said IAM Union International President Brian Bryant. “It’s time for a trade policy that defends North American manufacturing, protects our workers, and ensures that every product bearing the USMCA label is truly made under fair conditions.”
The IAM Union’s filing calls for several measures:
– Expanding and strengthening the Rapid Response Mechanism (RRM) so more workers can access it and labor rights are better protected in Mexico.
– Extending Labor Value Content requirements to cover additional sectors such as aerospace and shipbuilding.
– Tightening rules of origin to block non-USMCA content from entering duty-free supply chains.
According to its submission: “Unfortunately, our concerns about USMCA have proven to be 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. Indeed, 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 on a number of fronts during the upcoming review.”
The IAM Union represents active and retired members working not only in aerospace but also airlines, defense industries and manufacturing throughout both countries. The organization is one of North America’s largest industrial trade unions.
