Plant in Mexico Targeted by New USMCA Rapid Response Labor Complaint
The U.S. asked the Mexican government to review a Unique Fabricating, Inc. plant in Queretaro, Mexico, based on allegations that the factory is obstructing workers’ freedom of association and right to collective bargaining, the Department of Labor said in a March 6 news release. Mexican labor union Transformacion Sindical recently filed a complaint under the USMCA Rapid Response Mechanism alleging Unique Fabricating, a U.S.-based company, denied it access to the facility and interfered with organizing efforts, DOL said.
Sign up for a free preview to unlock the rest of this article
Export Compliance Daily combines U.S. export control news, foreign border import regulation and policy developments into a single daily information service that reliably informs its trade professional readers about important current issues affecting their operations.
Rapid Response "allows the U.S. to take enforcement action based on the labor situation at an individual factory in Mexico if such facility fails to comply with domestic freedom of association and collective bargaining laws," DOL said. Mexico has 10 days to agree to conduct a review and 45 days to investigate and present its findings.
Michigan-based Unique Fabricating serves numerous industries, including the automotive and medical industries, according to its website. Unique Fabricating did not respond to a request for comment.
The request is the seventh under the Rapid Response Labor Mechanism. Previous complaints have led to probes at companies including General Motors, Stellantis, Panasonic and most recently Manufacturas VU in January (see 2301300030).
“We look forward to working with the Government of Mexico to promptly address these issues as we pursue a shared goal of raising labor standards and creating a race to the top in trade,” U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai said in the news release. The Interagency Labor Committee for Monitoring and Enforcement, which made the review request to Mexico, is co-chaired by DOL and USTR.
“The government of Mexico has indicated their support for full implementation of the labor reform. We look forward to working together to address the issues in this case," Labor Secretary Marty Walsh said.