Auto unions say Mexico wage fight will continue even if NAFTA crumbles
TORONTO — Canadian and American auto worker unions say they’ll continue to fight for higher wages in Mexico with or without a NAFTA deal, even as U.S. President Donald Trump threatened again to pull out of the agreement just days before another round of talks.
After a meeting with Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland in Toronto on Friday, the presidents of Unifor and its American counterpart United Auto Workers said they’re not concerned by Trump’s statement at a campaign-style rally in Arizona this week, where he predicted the U.S. will pull out of NAFTA “at some point.” The second round of renegotiations begin in Mexico City next week.
“If Donald Trump threatens to walk away from it, no problem,” said Jerry Dias, national president of Unifor, which represents auto industry workers in Canada.
“The fear of staying in NAFTA under the current conditions is much worse than the fear of abandoning it.”