Pascrell Praises New Rapid Response Complaint to Combat Mexican Labor Violations

Complaint under new NAFTA comes after Pascrell called on General Motors to address labor suppression at Mexico plant

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Rep. Bill Pascrell, Jr. (D-NJ-09), Chairman of the Ways and Means Oversight Subcommittee, today hailed the second complaint filed under the new NAFTA’s Rapid Response Labor Mechanism.

“I am gratified that the Biden Administration led by our new U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai agrees with our assessment in this case. The reported acts of bullying at the General Motors plant in Silao by a corrupt employer protection union clearly violates the renegotiated NAFTA,” said Rep. Pascrell, former Ranking Democrat on the Ways and Means Subcommittee on Trade. “It’s refreshing how seriously the Biden Administration is taking the rights of labor and how swiftly it is standing up for workers’ right to freely associate and choose an independent union.

“Our trade agreements aren’t worth the paper they’re printed on if they are not enforced to defend workers in Mexico and here in the United States. Corporations must also be an active participant in respecting labor rights. Our committee will continue to monitor reports of any violations and demand fair processes to ensure workers are not harassed or retaliated against. Workers’ rights must be upheld in Mexico. This is not negotiable.”

Today’s complaint comes one day after Rep. Pascrell and his Ways and Means colleagues sent a letter General Motors Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Mary Barra regarding reports of serious labor violations at a GM plant in Mexico. Rep. Pascrell also praised the first rapid response complaint filed earlier this week which addressed labor violations at Mexico’s Tridonex.

Rep. Pascrell was the first member of Congress to raise the case of Susana Prieto Terrazas to then-U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer during a House Ways and Means Committee hearing on the 2020 U.S. trade agenda. Pascrell also highlighted the need for strong enforcement mechanisms to ensure Mexico honors agreed-upon labor reforms, echoing the many calls Pascrell has made in the past. Rep. Pascrell opposed NAFTA 2.0 due to its lack of enforcement mechanisms, stating that “the big questions on Mexican labor laws, enforcement mechanisms, American wages, and scope of environmental standards, among others, remain unanswered.” He has also led House efforts to end the outsourcing of American jobs with his Bring Jobs Home Act, which would close tax loopholes for companies who ship jobs overseas and provide tax relief for American companies that move jobs to the U.S. from another nation.

###