Restructuring labor in Mexico under the USMCA

Abstract

One of the main objectives of the (United States-México-Canada Trade Agreement (USMCA) is the “legitimation” of México´s system of labor relations as defined by new criteria legislated through the trade agreement. Enforcement of the agreement requires the creation of new institutions and processes, largely financed by Mexico. Mexico´s labor reform of 2019 -incorporating several novel elements regarding the ratification of collective bargaining agreements- prioritized the right of workers to participate in free and fair elections to select a union through a secret ballot process. Now, the US government asserts that the United States Trade Representative (USTR) has the authority to monitor of such elections without the consent of the Mexican government. Ironically, US trade unions are advocating for a decent wage for Mexican workers in order to slow or halt deindustrialization. The elimination from abroad of the starvation wages of Mexican workers is unimaginable to the Mexican oligarchy and the US transnationals operating factories and mines in Mexico.