The United States is seeking a review of Mexico under the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement’s Rapid Response Labor Mechanism because of suspected denial of workers’ rights at the Draxton facility in Irapuato, Guanajuato.
U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai announced the action May 31 in a quest to discover whether workers at the Draxton facility are denied freedom of association and collective bargaining, according to a news release from her office. It’s the fourth time in 2023 and the ninth time overall the U.S. has sought such a review.
“This second self-initiated request under the USMCA shows that the Biden-Harris administration is laser-focused on using trade to empower workers,” Tai said in the release. “The RRM is an effective enforcement tool to ensure that workers at the Draxton facility can freely exercise their rights without intimidation, harassment or the fear of retribution. We look forward to working with the government of Mexico to promptly address these concerns.”
Tai directed the secretary of the Treasury “to suspend the liquidation for all unliquidated entries of goods from the Draxton Irapuato facility,” according to the release.
The U.S. trade representative and the secretary of Labor monitor workers’ ability to exercise their rights of freedom of association and collective bargaining in Mexico, the release reported. Labor rights denials, including the termination of a union official and interference with union activities, prompted the U.S. to self-initiate the request for a review.
The U.S. reportedly received information noting several denials of labor rights, including the termination of a union official and interference in activities to gain control of the union, the release said.
"When workers at the facility tried to organize a new union, led by the former official, they experienced harassment, surveillance and intimidation and the former union official faced threats and violence at his house," the release reported. "Additionally, workers did not get their collective bargaining agreement before voting on it in 2022 and still have not received it."
