[CTC] News and press statements on the NAFTA negotiation

Fri May 11 18:01:05 PDT 2018

Politico Pro

NAFTA ministers not scheduled to meet in person next week

By SABRINA RODRIGUEZ <https://subscriber.politicopro.com/staff/sabrina-rodriguez>

05/11/2018 02:47 PM EDT 
Updated 05/11/2018 03:07 PM EDT

The NAFTA nations’ top officials will be “on call” next week as negotiators from the three countries continue to discuss some of the agreement’s thorniest issues, Mexican Economy Minister Ildefonso Guajardo said Friday.

“Ministers will convene as required once the teams are ready to provide us with some elements of solutions that we have indicated,” Guajardo said on his way out from a trilateral meeting with his U.S. and Canadian counterparts that lasted under 45 minutes.

“We’ll be on call to arrange the next meeting,” he added.

Negotiators will begin meeting again on Monday to continue work on the “different areas we want to push on in this process,” Guajardo said. Technical teams from the U.S., Mexico and Canada have been meeting consistently for more than six weeks, as the pressure has mounted for them to strike a deal in the coming days.

Mexico will not “sacrifice quality ... for pressure of time,” Guajardo said. However, he did not dismiss the idea that a deal could come together quickly.

In trade negotiations, “once you really arrange the tough issues, you can place the rest rather quickly. Technically, you can do it,” he said.
In recent weeks, high-level talks have largely focused on the major overhaul of the rules that govern how cars produced in the region qualify for reduced tariffs. Mexico presented a formal counterproposal to the U.S.’ demands on autos, which the Mexican automotive industry rejected as “unattainable.”

“In Mexico’s view it has been a very, very good week for advancements [on rules of origin],” Guajardo said. “Now, the three countries are getting a little closer in the views about we have to really design the landing zone for the rules of origin in the automotive industry.”

He did, however, emphasize that many other issues need to come together before a deal is set. Other controversial issues remain on the table, such as investor-state dispute settlement, seasonal produce and a so-called sunset clause that would allow for the deal to be terminated if the three countries do not renew it after a set number of years.

It’s in everyone’s “best interest to really be efficient in landing the solutions, but again, it has to be a very good and balanced package,” Guajardo said.

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DeLauro Statement on Conclusion of NAFTA Ministerial Meeting

WASHINGTON, DC — Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (CT-03) today released the following statement upon the conclusion of the American, Canadian, and Mexican trade ministers’ latest meeting to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).

“President Trump promised to stop job outsourcing and bring jobs back through a renegotiated NAFTA. I urge the Administration to continue talks until a deal is achieved that meets those promises.”

“Too many working people have not seen a pay increase in years and struggle to find good-paying jobs because of NAFTA. Instead of leveling the playing field, NAFTA has made it easy for companies to outsource jobs to Mexico. Since NAFTA, Mexico’s already low wages are down and American workers’ wages are flat, while prices for necessities keep going up. Corporations will continue pushing down wages for American workers until NAFTA’s job outsourcing incentives are eliminated and a strong labor chapter with swift and certain enforcement is included in the deal.”

“President Trump needs to keep his promise, not walk away from the table without a better deal. Anything less will be a betrayal of American workers and the countless promises he made to them.”

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USW: NAFTA Negotiators Need Time to Get it Right

(Pittsburgh) -- United Steelworkers (USW) International President Leo W. Gerard issued the following statement today after negotiators for the countries covered by the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) announced that talks to update and reform the agreement would continue over the coming weeks.

“We welcome today’s announcement that negotiations will continue. Several substantive hurdles still need to be cleared. Working families have been living through the NAFTA nightmare for more than 25 years. Taking more time to revise the agreement so that it promotes, rather than undermines, the interests of workers in all three countries is worth it.

“NAFTA negotiators should take the time to hammer out a good deal rather than causing further damage through the additional outsourcing of jobs and production.

“Negotiations are at a critical phase on a number of issues that will determine the competitive landscape. Key is whether Mexico will change its labor laws and enforcement, and ensure that workers are paid family-supportive wages. The U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) has made clear its priorities, many of which could improve NAFTA if effectively negotiated and fully enforced. Rushing to conclude an agreement and lowering the standards will only make things worse. 

“There’s no question that NAFTA has been an utter failure. It’s time to fix it, but negotiators need time to get it right. We will continue to work with the USTR to try and achieve an agreement that meets the needs of working families in the United States, Canada and Mexico.”

The USW represents 850,000 workers in North America employed in many industries that include metals, rubber, chemicals, paper, oil refining and the service and public sectors. For more information: www.usw.org <http://www.usw.org/>
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NAFTA Talks Should Continue Until a Good Deal Is Achieved

Statement of Lori Wallach, Director, Public Citizen’s Global Trade Watch

Lori Wallach, director of Public Citizen’s Global Trade Watch, released the following statement upon the conclusion of today’s North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) ministerial meeting:

“Until a deal is achieved that eliminates NAFTA’s job outsourcing incentives and foreign tribunals exposing our laws to attack, and that adds strong labor and environmental standards with swift and certain enforcement to raise wages, talks should continue. The administration has been making progress on important elements of the major NAFTA replacement deal that is needed, and we hope they continue negotiating until they get a deal that would enjoy broad support. 
Only a deal that eliminates NAFTA’s job outsourcing incentives and investor-state dispute settlement tribunals and adds strong labor and environmental standards with swift and certain enforcement can obtain broad support in Congress, a reality demonstrated by the Trans-Pacific Partnership falling dozens of votes short of passage in the previous Congress.

Certainly the continuation of the status quo of NAFTA helping corporations outsource more jobs to Mexico every week and attack health and environmental safeguards in secretive tribunals is not acceptable. President Trump promised to bring jobs back with a quick NAFTA renegotiation, but more important than a fast deal is the right deal that transforms the failed NAFTA model. Members of Congress, unions and small businesses, state legislators and consumer groups have articulated for decades the structural changes needed to NAFTA to reverse its outsourcing incentives, downward pressure on wages and attacks on our health and environmental laws.”

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For Immediate Release
Contact: Arthur Stamoulis, (202) 494-8826

Statement on the NAFTA Renegotiation
By Arthur Stamoulis, Executive Director, Citizens Trade Campaign

Washington, D.C. — Responding to the conclusion of the latest ministerial-level round of North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) negotiations earlier today, which makes it unlikely the renegotiation can be concluded in time for a Congressional vote this year, Citizens Trade Campaign Executive Director Arthur Stamoulis released the following statement:

"With NAFTA continuing to outsource more-and-more good-paying jobs every week, drive down wages in the jobs that are left and drive up pollution, it’s critical that negotiators stay at the table.  While no NAFTA deal is better than a bad deal, working people remain in need of the real relief that only a comprehensive new agreement can deliver.  

"Despite all the campaigning against a worker-friendly renegotiation by corporate lobbyists and Congressional Republicans, it is imperative that the ongoing renegotiation finally put an end to NAFTA’s investor-state outsourcing incentives, it’s loopholes that enable products from around the world to gain the benefits of duty-free access to the United States without reciprocal market access for our goods and services, and other provisions that cost people their livelihoods, and that also put the environment and public health at risk.  

"Among other much-needed changes, working families especially need a NAFTA replacement that contains strong labor and environmental standards with swift and certain enforcement in order to protect jobs at home, protect human rights abroad and lift wages across the continent.  Far more work is also needed to reach a deal that supports — rather than undermines — efforts to address climate change.

"We remain committed to working with civil society organizations in all three NAFTA countries to achieve a transformative new agreement that finally puts people and the planet ahead of corporate profits."

Citizens Trade Campaign (CTC) is a national coalition of labor, environmental, family farm, faith and consumer organizations working together to improve U.S. trade policy.  In March, CTC published a letter signed by over 1,000 civil society organizations <https://www.citizenstrade.org/ctc/blog/2018/03/21/civil-society-priorities-in-the-nafta-renegotiation/> outlining their shared criteria for a sound NAFTA replacement.

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