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WASHINGTON, July 1, 2026 – Brian Bryant, International President of the 600,000-member IAM Union (International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers), released the following statement on the mandatory six-year review of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA):
“When NAFTA was first proposed, the IAM Union opposed it because we knew exactly what would happen. Corporations would use the agreement to chase lower wages, move jobs out of our communities and pit workers against each other in a race to the bottom.
“Unfortunately, that’s exactly what happened.
“We opposed the USMCA in 2020 because it still failed to adequately address the incentives that encourage companies to move jobs to Mexico in search of lower wages and weaker labor standards.
“While USMCA included some improvements over NAFTA, six years later it is clear that the agreement has not done enough to stop the offshoring of good union jobs.
“Our members have seen it firsthand. It’s companies like Whirlpool shifting work to Mexico. All across North America, workers are still being forced to compete against a system designed to reward offshoring instead of investment in North American workers and communities.
“Workers are still watching their jobs leave. Manufacturing jobs continue to move south of the border. Companies continue to exploit massive wage disparities between the United States and Mexico. The same broken incentives remain in place.
“The mandatory six-year review of USMCA presents an opportunity to finally fix what is broken.
“The agreement should not simply be extended as-is. It must be strengthened with tougher labor standards, stronger enforcement mechanisms, improved rules of origin and meaningful measures that discourage corporations from moving jobs out of the United States and Canada in pursuit of cheaper labor.
“Trade agreements should raise wages, strengthen manufacturing and create opportunity for working people across North America. They should not serve as a roadmap for outsourcing jobs and enriching multinational corporations.
“The IAM Union urges the United States, Mexico and Canada to use this review process to deliver the reforms working people have been demanding for decades. Working families deserve a trade agreement that puts workers first, protects jobs and rebuilds the manufacturing base that has been sacrificed for far too long.”
The IAM Union (International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers) represents approximately 600,000 active and retired members in aerospace, defense, airlines, shipbuilding, rail, transit, healthcare, automotive, and other industries across North America.
