Mexico

President-elect Joe Biden’s incoming administration presents an opportunity for labor groups to advance their vision of what a trade agreement should encompass, according to the AFL-CIO’s Cathy Feingold.

The Section 332 request is the latest move by the Trump administration to address the complaints of seasonal and perishable produce growers.

The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative is prepared to take action to enforce the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, Senate Finance Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-IA) said on Tuesday, citing a conversation with USTR Robert Lighthizer last week.

“These actions appear to be calculated to send a message to workers and their advocates that any attempt to exercise rights guaranteed under the USMCA and Mexico’s labor law reforms will be harshly suppressed.”

The railway system would link Sinaloa, Mexico, to Winnipeg, Canada, running through Dallas and Chicago.

“Instead of talking about the value chains returning only to the U.S., let’s talk about them returning to North America, finding vendors ... and new investments in North America.”

The Mexican government is prepared to respond to any complaint filed under the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement’s novel labor-dispute resolution mechanism, the country’s economy secretary, Graciela Márquez Colín, said on Tuesday as the AFL-CIO gears up to launch a case.

Both New York senators argued for Canada to fairly allocate its TRQs and for Mexico to recognize promised generic cheese names.

Customs agencies in the U.S., Mexico, Canada remain in close contact on the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement implementation, officials said this week, enjoying what one U.S. official dubbed the “honeymoon” phase.