The U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement's Labor Committee for Monitoring and Enforcement has called for a review by the Mexican government after receiving a petition that workers’ rights are being violated at Unique Fabricating's facility in Queretaro, Mexico.
The USMCA’s Rapid Response Labor Mechanism enables the U.S. to take enforcement action based on labor conditions at an individual Mexican factory if it violates domestic freedom of association and collective bargaining laws, according to a March 6 news release. Unique Fabricating is accused of obstructing workers' freedom of association and collective bargaining.
“Labor provisions in the U.S-Mexico-Canada Agreement and Mexico’s 2019 labor reform are intended to address allegations like those cited in this case,” Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh said in the release. “The government of Mexico has indicated their support for full implementation of the labor reform. We look forward to working together to address the issues in this case.”
The committee’s action follows the receipt of a USMCA Rapid Response Labor Mechanism petition filed by the Transformación Sindical union, which claims Unique Fabricating refused to allow access to the facility and interfered with its organizing efforts, according to the release.
Mexico's government has 10 days to agree to conduct a review and 45 days to investigate the allegations and present its findings, the release reported. The USMCA Rapid Response Labor Mechanism is the first of its kind and enables the U.S. to take enforcement action based on labor conditions at a specific factory in Mexico if it violates domestic freedom of association and collective bargaining laws.
U.S. Trade Representative Ambassador Katherine Tai said the Rapid Response Labor Mechanism was an essential tool to protect workers’ rights and pursue a worker-centered trade policy globally, the release reported.
Unique Fabricating is a U.S.-based manufacturer that supplies components for the automotive, appliance, industrial off-road and medical industries, with production facilities in Georgia, Kentucky, Michigan, Ontario and Mexico, according to the release.
