U.S. unions voice concerns over inadequate labor rights protection in NAFTA replacement

WASHINGTON, March 27 (Xinhua) -- U.S. unions have expressed concerns over the labor rights-related provisions of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), and urged lawmakers to make necessary revisions to better protect workers.

At a hearing held by the House Ways and Means trade subcommittee on Tuesday, several union leaders argued that the USMCA, the replacement of the 25-year-old North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), still doesn't guarantee higher wages and improved working conditions.

"All the NAFTA renegotiation efforts in the world will not create U.S. jobs, raise U.S. wages, or reduce the U.S. trade deficit if the new rules do not include clear, strong, and effective labor rules that require Mexico to abandon its low wage policy and instead implement and enforce the fundamental labor rights," said Celeste Drake from the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO).

The new NAFTA does little to stop the continued outsourcing of U.S. jobs to Mexico across all sectors, the trade and globalization policy specialist for the AFL-CIO said in her testimony.

"The new NAFTA is not yet worthy of support. If the administration insists on a premature vote on the new NAFTA in its current form, we will have no choice but to oppose it," Drake said.

Shane Larson, director of legislation, politics and international affairs for the Communications Workers of America, echoed Drake's point, saying that the U.S. Congress must send negotiators back to the table to resolve some of the "most egregious problems" with this Agreement.

"The current draft of NAFTA 2.0 will not ensure that worker rights are protected," Larson said.

The USMCA, signed by leaders of the three countries late last year in Argentina, still needs to be ratified by lawmakers of the three countries before going into effect.

The deal faces a tough road ahead in a split U.S. Congress, as Democrats have repeatedly questioned the deal's enforceability, especially related to labor and environment protection.