NAFTA is top of mind for Unifor President Jerry Dias. Dias recently had a one-on-one meeting with U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross in Washington, D.C.
He stressed that their union hasn’t been a fan of the Free Trade agreement.
Dias says NAFTA has given a lot to global corporations, at the expense of workers’ rights and economic security.
He told Ross that the renegotiation is an opportunity to fix trade imbalances, but stressed they will not tolerate any forced deterioration in jobs and work standards.
Dias relayed the view of Unifor members as bilateral trade tensions continue to escalate.
He told the American representative that Canada and the United States are not enemies on trade and that we aren’t the cause of America’s economic woes.
Dias raised a series of concerns including duties on softwood lumber exports, the impact tariffs will have on jobs and the rising levels of vehicle imports from non-NAFTA regions.
