America’s working families have suffered the consequences of bad trade deals negotiated behind closed doors. We lived the failures of the North American Trade Agreement (NAFTA) when we saw good union jobs shipped overseas. The solution isn’t less trade, but better trade rules – rules that put American’s working families first.
For 25 years, we’ve demanded that NAFTA be renegotiated, and this is our change to get it right. Right now, NAFTA is being renegotiated as The United States Mexico Canada Trade Agreement (USMCA). This renegotiation process is an incredible opportunity. It’s a chance to secure that kind of trade policy that truly prioritizes working families. Unfortunately, that has not yet happened.
There’s still time to make it work for working people. Send an email to Congress and call 1-855-856-7545 to tell your representative: no vote until NAFTA is fixed.
The labor movement is pushing to include vital protections for workers in this new trade agreement. Trade without enforcement is a windfall for corporations and a disaster for workers. The agreement’s enforcement provisions need to be dramatically strengthened. If Mexico can’t ensure workers’ ability to bargain for higher wages through real unions, the entire deal is a non-starter. Mexico must guarantee workers’ right to raise wages through free and democratic unions. The new NAFTA needs to ensure Big Pharma doesn’t inflate prescription drug prices in order to make more profits for themselves. The deal must also strengthen rules of origin for all manufacturing sectors and require country-of-origin labeling for agricultural products so we know where our food is grown.
If done right, this deal could finally change the global rules of trade and create a path toward trade that lifts up working people. As it stands, this deal is incomplete and any vote is premature.
Contact Congress and tell your representative: no vote until NAFTA is fixed.
We are calling for no vote on the new NAFTA until it is fixed and working people and our jobs have been secured. This means an agreement that raises wages, creates and secures jobs, protects our environment, safeguards our democracy, and guarantees the freedom of every worker to join a meaningful union.
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