South of the U.S.-Mexico border, workers at a GM plant (in Silao, Guanajuato) are seeing early results from the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Trade Agreement (T-MEC) signed by President Trump which went into effect in mid-2020. The labor mechanisms of that agreement have led to Mexico GM plant workers to vote out a union (the Confederation of Mexican Workers, one of the most powerful in the country) that stood accused of intimidation tactics. Mexico’s Labor Ministry announced the demise of this collective bargaining contract with U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai praising the dispute resolution procedures of the new trade accord, which took the place of 1994’s North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).
Further analysis of the effects of T-MEC point towards possible continued tensions (concerning export-rule agreements) between countries as the agreement’s provisions begin to take effect. However, the winning vote against union corruption at the Silao GM plant speaks volumes, and T-MEC has been touted as a foundation for positive force for workers and businesses alike.
