IAM Union International Affairs Director Peter Greenberg testified before the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR), calling for urgent and enforceable labor standards in the upcoming review of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA).
The union stated that weaknesses in the current agreement have contributed to outsourcing, weakened labor protections, and reduced economic security for workers in North America. Greenberg described concerns about USMCA’s lack of progress on improving labor conditions in Mexico and the resulting loss of manufacturing and aerospace jobs in 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 stronger rules of origin, an expansion of Labor Value Content requirements, and measures to ensure that goods moving duty-free under USMCA are genuinely produced within North America. The union noted that its members support both commercial aviation and U.S. national defense by building advanced aircraft and engines.
According to IAM Union representatives, weak provisions in USMCA have enabled products with substantial non-North American content—especially from China—to enter the U.S. duty-free. This situation has undermined domestic aerospace manufacturing as well as supply chains between the U.S. and Canada.
Greenberg referenced findings from the Independent Mexico Labor Expert Board (IMLEB), which reported ongoing failures by Mexico’s government to enforce core labor rights or penalize employers who violate them. The union argued that without better enforcement mechanisms, more funding for monitoring through the U.S. Department of Labor, and meaningful penalties for violators, Mexican workers will continue to face barriers to forming independent unions.
“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 a series of hearings organized by USTR on USMCA issues, testimony was also delivered by IAM’s Maine Lobstering Union urging action on inequities affecting Maine’s lobstermen. The group highlighted how inconsistent conservation requirements and enforcement across borders threaten both livelihoods and coastal communities dependent on fishing.
The IAM Union formally submitted comments urging the administration to improve labor enforcement under USMCA, raise wage standards across member countries, and address loopholes contributing to job offshoring in key sectors such as aerospace and manufacturing.
