Successful Renegotiation of the Free Trade Agreement with Mexico

In early 2020, the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) became law in the USA. The Democrats’ support for this free trade agreement, renegotiated by the Trump administration, is mainly due to the fact that they have tied in unprecedented monitoring and enforcement mechanisms to reform Mexican labour law. These mechanisms have been welcomed by the AFL-CIO and most – though not all – US trade unions. The hope is that strengthening the rights of Mexican workers will discourage corporations from moving jobs to Mexico. The article describes these innovative elements and presents an assessment by labour and trade specialists.