Neal, Blumenauer, Pascrell, Kildee Statement On Labor Enforcement Action

Statement

WASHINGTON, DC--Today, House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard E. Neal (D-MA), Trade Subcommittee Chairman Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), Oversight Subcommittee Chairman Bill Pascrell, Jr. (D-NJ), Congressman Dan Kildee (D-MI), member of the Ways and Means Subcommittee on Trade, released the following statement on the historic pro-worker election results at the General Motors (GM) auto plant in Mexico:

"We welcome today's election results from the GM auto plant in Silao, Mexico as critical proof that vigorous enforcement of labor standards in our trade agreements can begin to dismantle some of the pervasive obstacles to freedom of association and other workers' rights. Indeed, this week's vote demonstrates that the United States Mexico Canada Agreement (USMCA) labor provisions and the Rapid Response Mechanism that Democrats secured in 2020 can help pave the way to protect workers' rights, remedy labor violations, foster workplace democracy in Mexico, and allow American workers to compete on a level playing field.

"Despite reports of harassment and intimidation, GM workers made their voices heard by voting against their incumbent union found by Mexican labor authorities to have violated the rights of its members. This important outcome is the result of the hard-fought USMCA measures secured by House Democrats and the Biden Administration's robust enforcement of those provisions by Trade Representative Katherine Tai and Labor Secretary Marty Walsh.

"We are proud of the progress made and we will keep working together to ensure that workers in Silao and across Mexico may exercise their rights to freedom of association and collective bargaining without fear or intimidation."

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