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The IAM Union joined labor experts and Congressional allies for a briefing designed to inform Congressional staff and leaders about labor priorities in the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) review and the urgent need to push for a trade agreement that puts workers first. While USMCA improved upon NAFTA, speakers warned that persistent wage gaps, weak enforcement, and growing foreign exploitation continue to put U.S. jobs at risk.
Labor priorities outlined during the briefing included strengthening Rules of Origin to prevent offshoring, closing loopholes that allow Chinese transshipment and final assembly through Mexico, expanding and reinforcing labor enforcement tools like the Rapid Response Mechanism, narrowing wage gaps that incentivize job flight, and protecting strategic manufacturing sectors, including aerospace, autos, steel, and aluminum.
A central focus of the discussion was the aerospace sector, where IAM Union International Affairs Director Peter Greenberg warned that failure to act now could lead to irreversible job losses. The aerospace manufacturing is deeply interconnected – especially between the U.S. and Canada – and highly vulnerable to disruption.
“One of our great fears has been an interruption of the aerospace supply chain, particularly because it is very closely tied between the U.S. and Canada,” said Greenberg.
Greenberg also raised alarms about China exploiting loopholes in USMCA.
“China is using Mexico as a transshipment location,” Greenberg continued. “It allows goods to be repackaged and essentially enter the United States tariff-free.”
Greenberg warned that Mexico could also serve as a final assembly point for Chinese aerospace products, threatening jobs tied to Boeing, Airbus, and U.S. jet engine manufacturing. He cited China’s push into commercial aviation with the COMAC C919 and the pressure applied through Belt and Road financing to undercut North American production.
Speakers at the briefing included Ranking Member of the House Ways and Means Trade Subcommittee U.S. Rep. Linda Sánchez (D-Calif.), AFL-CIO Legislative Representative Riley Ohlson, United Steelworkers Legislative Director Roy Houseman, and United Auto Workers Legislative Representative Christopher Zatratz.
As the July 1, 2026, USMCA review deadline approaches, labor leaders urged Congress to act decisively to ensure the agreement delivers real results for workers, calling for a stronger, worker-centered trade agreement that protects high-skill union jobs, secures supply chains, and closes loopholes that threaten U.S. manufacturing.
