Tag Archive for: USMCA

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UAW Condemns Violent Attack on Tornel Rubber Workers in Mexico, Urges Immediate USMCA Action

The UAW today condemned the shooting of striking workers at the Tornel Rubber Company in Tultitlán, Mexico, calling it a grave attack on fundamental labor and human rights and urging swift action by Mexican authorities and USMCA partners.

On March 18, four workers were injured when armed assailants opened fire on workers on night duty as they lawfully exercised their right to strike.

The strike at Tornel Rubber Company stems from alleged violations of the Mexican Rubber Industry Contract-Law, including:

  • Non-implementation of a 40-hour workweek
  • Unpaid 44-day year-end bonus
  • Denial of proper vacation premium (25–31 days)
  • Failure to pay social security contributions
  • Non-recognition of official paid holidays (Feb. 5, Mar. 21)

The UAW is calling on Mexican authorities to ensure the safety of workers and to carry out a transparent investigation to hold those responsible accountable.

The situation reflects broader concerns about efforts within the rubber industry to weaken established labor standards and collective bargaining agreements. The UAW is urging the governments of the United States and Canada to take immediate action under the USMCA Rapid Response Labor Mechanism. Specifically, the UAW is calling for USTR to immediately self-initiate a complaint under the USMCA’s Rapid Response Mechanism.

“What happened at Tornel Rubber is an outrage. It’s an attack on human rights, on labor rights, and on the basic democratic freedoms of workers. The right to strike, to organize, and to bargain collectively are non-negotiable. When workers are met with gunfire for exercising those rights, the UAW will not tolerate it. We’re committed to fighting like hell to make sure every worker can stand up, organize, and demand what they’re owed without facing violence,” said UAW President Shawn Fain.

The UAW emphasized that failure to respond decisively risks undermining labor reforms and trade commitments across North America.

UAW Demands:

  • Immediate protection for Tornel workers and their families
  • Full enforcement of the Rubber Industry Contract-Law
  • Public condemnation of the attack by Mexican authorities and industry leaders
  • Independent USMCA complaint initiated by the U.S.

The UAW reaffirmed its solidarity with Tornel workers, who voted on March 22 to continue their strike.

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Hundreds of UAW Members Speak Out for New Trade Deal as UAW Outlines Priorities for Worker-Centered Trade

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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After Members Took Action, UAW Celebrates Tariffs on Heavy Trucks

In a major win for UAW members who build heavy trucks at Mack, Daimler, Navistar, Volvo, and more, the Trump administration has announced a 25 percent tariff on imported heavy trucks, after a massive grassroots lobbying campaign by UAW members and leaders.

“For decades, heavy truck makers have rushed to kill good blue-collar jobs from Allentown, Pennsylvania, to Gastonia, North Carolina, in order to pay poverty wages abroad while Wall Street makes a killing. That ends November 1st,” said UAW President Shawn Fain. “Our members lobbied and mobilized to save these communities, and made their voices heard in Washington, DC. We have pushed for action like this for decades, and we congratulate President Trump for delivering for heavy truck workers everywhere. Let’s keep going and rewrite our broken trade rules.”

A new video, Made In The Valley, tells the story of UAW Local 677 in the Lehigh Valley—how the USMCA gutted the communities that built the American heavy truck industry, and how workers fought back to save their jobs and community.

“Mack, Daimler, Navistar, Volvo — we built these companies,” said Dave Durgin, President of the UAW Bus, Engine, and Truck Council. “These executives have tried to run away from us and our families just to pay somebody $3-4 an hour to build six-figure trucks, and pocket the profits. We aren’t asking for the world. We’re saying if you want to sell your trucks in the U.S., you need to make your trucks in the U.S., at a good union wage like we’ve won at the UAW. We’re glad to see action being taken to support domestic manufacturing and good union jobs.”

The victory in the heavy truck industry is the latest blow to the so-called “free trade” system that has devastated blue collar America, from NAFTA to the USMCA. In 2026, the entire USMCA is up for review, and the UAW is pushing for a trade deal that puts the working class first.

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After UAW Pressure and Auto Tariffs, Stellantis Commits Billions to Domestic Plants

Detroit, MI – After months of planning and deliberation, Stellantis has announced a historic investment in U.S. manufacturing. In a major victory for UAW members and working-class people across the Midwest, Stellantis shared that it will create 5,000 new UAW jobs over the next four years, with three new products. The company projects that they will increase production in the United States by 50% during this time period.

This move brings good-paying union jobs back to the U.S. and will strengthen the economy in communities that were devastated by so-called “free trade” policies like NAFTA and USMCA.

“A year ago, Stellantis was on a fast-track to moving their U.S. operations out of the country. Their decision today proves that targeted auto tariffs can, in fact, bring back thousands of good union jobs to the U.S.,” said UAW President Shawn Fain. “Wall Street and supposed industry experts said this was impossible. But race to the bottom created by free trade is finally coming to an end.”

The update from the company today announced 5 new product launches, including 3 additional products beyond what we negotiated in our 2023 contract.

  • Belvidere Assembly will produce two products, an all-new Jeep Cherokee and the Jeep Compass.
  • Warren Truck will produce an all-new SUV, in addition to the Wagoneer family. The company projects an additional shift and 900 additional jobs by 2029.
  • Toledo Assembly will produce the all-new midsize truck, which we won in our 2023 agreement, in addition to the Jeep Wrangler and Gladiator.

The company also reaffirmed past investment commitments, including the next-generation Dodge Durango at the Detroit Assembly Complex and the GMET4 EVO Engine at the Kokomo Engine Plant.

“We’ve been making progress getting our members back to work, with indefinite layoffs coming down from a high of 3,228 in February to just over 1,700 this month” said the Director of the UAW Stellantis Department, Kevin Gotinsky. “This new investment will be a game-changer for UAW members. Instead of worrying about looming layoffs, we can support our families and build the quality products that we take pride in.”

The announcement follows approximately $5 billion in new U.S. investment announced by General Motors earlier this year.

Moving forward, the UAW is focused on the upcoming renegotiation of the USMCA, to permanently end the unfair trade practices that allowed automakers to offshore U.S. jobs, slash wages, and shutter dozens of once-thriving plants.

As part of that fight, the UAW is demanding a new worker-first trade deal that:

  • Prioritizes job security: companies need to make it here if they want to sell it here.
  • Strengthens enforceable labor rights for all workers. We can’t let corporations pit us against each other.
  • Guarantees equal pay for equal work across borders. Corporations should not be able to use trade to cause a race to the bottom.

The Big Three have closed or spun off 65 facilities in the past 20 years. More than 2 million vehicles a year have disappeared from American production lines over the last decade, while factories in countries like Mexico have opened, offering jobs with low wages and terrible working conditions, hallmarks of our exploitative trade system.

Ending offshoring and rebuilding the auto industry also means policies that help the entire working class: a strong National Labor Relations Board, secure retirements through Social Security, guaranteed health care through Medicare and Medicaid, and dignity on and off the job. This is how we ensure today’s gains become tomorrow’s standard—not just for autoworkers, but for all working-class people.

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Independent Expert Board Finds Mexico Failing to Honor Labor Obligations Under USMCA Trade Agreement

For the first time, the Independent Mexico Labor Expert Board (IMLEB), has found that Mexico has failed to live up to its labor obligations under the c (USMCA).

IMLEB is a body created by the US Congress under the USMCA to monitor and report on Mexico’s implementation and enforcement of necessary labor reforms. In its new report, submitted to Congress, the Board has determined that “Mexico is not in compliance with its labor obligations under USMCA.”

“When the United States set out to renegotiate NAFTA in 2019 with the explicit objective of dramatically reducing the U.S.-Mexico trade deficit and addressing the failures of NAFTA, there was bipartisan support in government,” the Board writes in their Conclusion.” Creating a really fair-trade deal would require a truly transformative agreement. A successful agreement would need to curb job loss in the US and reduce the wage gap between US and Mexican workers, which for decades has enabled hundreds of thousands of layoffs for US workers and heavily suppressed wages for Mexican workers.

“If a measure of success is a reduction of the wage gap between Mexican workers and their North American counterparts,” the Board continues, “USMCA is a failure.”

The UAW applauds the findings of the Independent Mexico Labor Expert Board. In 2026, the USMCA agreement is up for review. The UAW is calling for a complete overhaul of our broken trade system. We need a new generation of trade deals that puts working people first. A fair-trade deal must give workers a seat at the table, raise the floor rather than race to the bottom, and enshrine the principle of equal pay for equal work across borders.

Under the USMCA, corporate America is making record profits gouging American consumers while US and Mexican workers see stagnant wages and worsening labor conditions. The USMCA has continued to pit Mexican and US workers against one another, with terrible consequences for the working class in both countries, and the deal must be abandoned or rewritten in 2026.

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UAW Statement on Mexico’s SINTTIA Organizing Drive at GM San Luis Potosí

The right to have a voice on the job—to shape your future, your working conditions, and your livelihood—is a basic human right. That right includes the freedom to form and join a union, free from coercion or interference. The UAW stands in solidarity with SINTTIA and the workers at General Motors’ San Luis Potosí plant as they exercise that fundamental right.

We applaud SINTTIA’s official filing to represent GM employees in San Luis Potosí, validated by the Federal Center for Conciliation and Labor Registry. Since the previous union failed to legitimize its contract under Mexico’s 2019 labor reform, this plant has been without union representation. SINTTIA’s leadership offers a real opportunity to restore democratic representation and win meaningful improvements for autoworkers.

SINTTIA’s record in Silao—where it won double-digit raises and inspired gains across GM Mexico—shows the power of independent unionism. But that power is now under threat. We are alarmed by credible reports of GM management colluding with a protection union to block SINTTIA, including misuse of personal data and illegal on-the-job campaigning.

These violations of labor rights and USMCA trade rules must not stand. The UAW calls on all allies to support SINTTIA and defend the workers’ right to choose.

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UAW Statement on Tariffs and Renegotiating U.S. Trade Agreements

The UAW supports aggressive tariff action to protect American manufacturing jobs as a good first step to undoing decades of anti-worker trade policy. We do not support using factory workers as pawns in a fight over immigration or drug policy. We are willing to support the Trump Administration’s use of tariffs to stop plant closures and curb the power of corporations that pit US workers against workers in other countries. But so far, Trump’s anti-worker policy at home, including dissolving collective bargaining agreements and gutting the National Labor Relations Board, leaves American workers facing worsening wages and working conditions even while the administration takes aggressive tariff action.

If Trump is serious about bringing back good blue-collar jobs destroyed by NAFTA, the USMCA, and the WTO, he should go a step further and immediately seek to renegotiate our broken trade deals. The national emergency we face is not about drugs or immigration, but about a working class that has fallen behind for generations while corporate America exploits workers abroad and consumers at home for massive Wall Street paydays. We need to stop plant closures, bring back American jobs, and stop the global race to the bottom immediately. Any tariff action must be followed with a renegotiation of the USMCA, and a full review of the corporate trade regime that has devastated the American and global working class.

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Statement from UAW President Shawn Fain on 2024 Presidential Election

UAW members around the country clocked in today under the same threat they faced yesterday: unchecked corporate greed destroying our lives, our families, and our communities. It’s the threat of companies like Stellantis, Mack Truck, and John Deere shipping jobs overseas to boost shareholder profits. It’s the threat of corporate America telling the working class to sit down and shut up.

We’ve said all along that no matter who is in the White House, our fight remains the same. The fight to fix our broken trade laws like the USMCA continues. The fight for good union jobs and U.S. leadership in the emerging battery industry continues. The fight for a secure retirement for everyone in this country continues. The fight for a living wage, affordable health care, and time for our families continues.

It’s time for Washington, DC to put up or shut up, no matter the party, no matter the candidate. Will our government stand with the working class, or keep doing the bidding of the billionaires? That’s the question we face today. And that’s the question we’ll face tomorrow. The answer lies with us. No matter who’s in office.

If that’s the question you’re asking today, no matter who you voted for, sign up and join us at solidarity.uaw.org.

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UAW Statement on JD Vance Refusing to Commit to Investments in Michigan Auto Plants

Donald Trump was the job-killer-in-chief while in the White House. His failed United States-Mexico-Canada trade agreement—or Trump’s NAFTA as we prefer to call it—has led to the mass exodus of good, blue-collar jobs from the United States.  

In sharp contrast, the Biden/Harris Administration has bet on the American worker and thanks to their policies, hundreds of thousands of good manufacturing jobs are returning to the United States.  

Now, Trump and JD Vance are invading Michigan and threatening the $500 million investment the Biden-Harris administration made in the General Motors Grand River Assembly Plant and the union jobs that investment would provide.  

The bottom line is that Donald Trump and JD Vance are a menace to the working class and are openly threatening to double down on Trump’s legacy of job destruction.  

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