UAW urges tougher labor rules in US-Canada-Mexico trade talks
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United Auto Workers (UAW) President Shawn Fain delivers the keynote address at the UAW 2026 CAP Conference, the national conference of the union's political arm attended by top union officials, in Washington, D.C., U.S., February 9, 2026. REUTERS/Evelyn H
By Kalea Hall
DETROIT, May 21 (Reuters) - United Auto Workers leaders called for stronger pay standards and mandates that carmakers build where they sell, ahead of Washington's upcoming talks on a new trade deal with Canada and Mexico.
UAW President Shawn Fain and others detailed the union’s hopes for the new pact during a Thursday presentation to media.
Formal negotiations over changes to the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement are expected to start between the U.S. and Mexico next week.
• The Detroit labor group said that if pro-worker trade demands aren't met, the U.S. government should pull out of a trade deal with the countries.
• "There’s no future for the working class that doesn’t address the free trade disaster," Fain said during the media webinar while wearing a "Kill NAFTA" T-shirt, referring to the previous free trade deal between the three countries.
• The union recommends the expansion and enforcement of Mexico's labor laws, raising wages in Mexico and increasing health and safety standards.
• The UAW has long viewed free trade deals as an attack on blue-collar work in America because companies have shifted jobs to lower-cost regions over the past several decades.
• A revised USMCA could include higher U.S. content requirements for vehicles crossing the border duty-free. Those rule changes could lead to high costs, more complexity, and place limits on market access, a recent report by Boston Consulting Group noted, specifically stating the repeal could add $33 billion in tariff-related costs.
• Auto trade groups this month urged President Donald Trump's administration to extend the current deal. The countries have a July 1 review deadline for USMCA.
(Reporting by Kalea Hall; Editing by Mike Colias in Detroit and David Gregorio)
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