NAFTA
Representing manufacturing, production, maintenance and sanitation workers in the baking, confectionery, tobacco and grain milling industries.
bctgm, bakers union, tobacco union, candy union, food workers, food workers union, grain millers, grain millers union, mondelez, nabisco, snack union,
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Today, the AFL-CIO endorsed the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). For nearly two years, the labor movement has been at the forefront in renegotiating NAFTA. The BCTGM worked extensively with the AFL-CIO throughout this process to help secure a trade deal that benefits working people and supports good, middle-class jobs in the U.S. and Canada. For the first time, there truly will be enforceable labor standards—including a process that allows for the inspections of factories...

10 December, 2019

BCTGM International President David B. Durkee and Secretary Treasurer Jethro Head continue discussions with President Napoleón Gómez Urrutia, President and General Secretary of the Mexican Union of Miners and Metalworkers’ Union, (known as Los Mineros), and a México National Senator regarding NAFTA 2.0 (USMCA) and Mondelez Nabisco at during the AFL-CIO Executive Council meeting in Chicago. ...

12 September, 2019

In a historic meeting yesterday, AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka met with Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador to discuss significant flaws in the proposed new NAFTA agreement. As Trumka told reporters last week, the deal is still not enforceable as written. In particular, Mexico has yet to demonstrate that it has the resources and infrastructure to follow through on its promised reforms. “We need President López Obrador to show us how Mexico will guarantee...

05 September, 2019

BCTGM International President David Durkee was among labor leaders from across the country who gathered in New Orleans last week as part of the AFL-CIO’s Executive Council meeting to map out the path ahead for labor. From trade and public education to equal pay and paid leave to back pay for federal contract workers and bargaining power for all, the Executive Council discussed issues that will define working people’s fight for economic justice in 2019...

21 March, 2019

The leaders of the United States, Canada and Mexico held a signing ceremony last week at the G-20 summit to advance the “new NAFTA” agreement. But as politicians celebrated thousands of miles away, working people made clear that the job isn’t done. “Despite today’s theatrics, the work of fixing NAFTA is far from over,” said AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka. “As it stands, this agreement has not earned the support of America’s working families. Without major improvements,...

03 December, 2018

NAFTA is being renegotiated because working people made clear that the original, failed, pro-corporate trade deal needed a rewrite to include better rules that put families and communities first. However, the USMCA is unfinished, and it’s too early to say whether it’s in the best interests of working people. AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka released a full statement yesterday on the trade deal: "Added protections for working people and some reductions in special privileges for global companies is...

01 October, 2018

The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) is a failure for working people across North America. It kills jobs, lowers ages and diminishes our democracy. For nearly 25 years, NAFTA has put the interests of powerful corporate CEOs ahead of environmental standards, healthy communities and regular working families across the continent. By contrast, a good trade deal would level the playing field for all workers with key provisions to: Eliminate corporate privileges like the Investor-State Dispute Settlement,...

12 February, 2018

Yesterday afternoon, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau visited the University of Chicago as part of a 4-day educational tour discussing the replacement of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). When he arrived, Trudeau was greeted outside by BCTGM Nabisco 600 workers and union activists who called on the Canadian Prime Minister to demand labor protections in any renegotiation of the flawed trade agreement. Demonstrators rallied on behalf of American jobs and urged Trudeau to fight for...

08 February, 2018

"NAFTA talks need to take a look at Mexico keeping wages down to compete with the U.S. and Canada." Check out this BBC World News report with AFL-CIO’s trade and globalization policy specialist Celeste Drake as she discusses the latest as the sixth round of NAFTA talks wrap up in Montreal.   [video width="720" height="576" mp4="http://www.bctgm.org/media/2018/02/drake-v2-BBC_World_News-2018-01-29_14-31-24.mp4"][/video]  ...

02 February, 2018

The Mexican government has filed legislation that would substantially weaken rights for working people. In response, the AFL-CIO filed a complaint alleging that Mexico is violating the North American Agreement on Labor Cooperation, the NAFTA labor side deal. Mexico’s bill would lock in low wages and poor working conditions. It also would frustrate legitimate unions' efforts to negotiate together on behalf of Mexican workers, who work the longest hours for the lowest pay among all countries that are members of...

27 January, 2018

Days after Congressman John Lewis stood with Nabisco workers and faith leaders in Washington to release the IWJ report on Mondelez/Nabisco outsourcing, Representatives Donald McEachin (D-Va.) and John Lewis (D-Ga.) have sent a joint letter to U.S. Trade Rep. Robert Lighthizer urging a dramatic NAFTA rewrite. McEachin and Lewis are asking for strong, enforceable labor standards that raise wages in Mexico, reduce incentives for outsourcing to companies such as Mondelez/Nabisco, encourage domestic investment and support American...

15 December, 2017

Finally, after nearly a quarter of a century, the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) is being renegotiated. And while NAFTA negotiations have not progressed very far, and it is too early to say whether the effort will bring a New Economic Deal to working people or simply more crony capitalism, there was some fantastic, surprising, excellent news recently. The Canadian negotiating team did something big: They told the U.S. negotiators that U.S. laws that interfere with people’s freedom to negotiate on the job...

21 September, 2017

by Celeste Drake, AFL-CIO Trade and Globalization Policy Specialist By now, you’ve probably heard of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). You might have heard that some businesspeople think it’s a great deal, while average working families—and those who stand with us—think it only works if you’re already at the top. If you’ve been reading our blog regularly, then you know NAFTA is being renegotiated. That means working people like us have an opportunity to fix it. And we laid out the...

23 August, 2017