As the United States, Mexico, Canada Agreement (USMCA) trade deal comes up for review in 2026, hundreds of UAW members are speaking out about the devastation of so-called “free trade” and the urgent need for a worker-centered transformation of our trade deals.
On Monday, November 3rd, the USMCA open comment period closed, and hundreds of UAW members spoke out about the personal impact of the free trade disaster. In addition, the UAW International submitted an extensive comment calling for transformative changes to North American trade policy that put the international working class first, ahead of corporate interests.
In the UAW’s comment, which can be viewed here, the union calls for a North American minimum manufacturing wage to lift up workers across the continent; harsh penalties for offshoring that kills jobs; and a requirement to “build here to sell here,” mandating companies that sell products in a country must commit to good jobs in that country.
“We’re here to stop the global race to the bottom that is set up by design in our disastrous trade deals,” said UAW President Shawn Fain. “With 5 million manufacturing jobs lost since NAFTA, with 90,000 plant closures causing devastation for the working class, with wages and standards falling across borders, and with the USMCA failing to stop the bleeding started by NAFTA, we have to tear up this deal and start over. That’s what this fight is all about, and in 2026 we expect our government representatives in the Trump administration and in Congress to get serious about fixing our broken trade system.”
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