Labor Solidarity in the T-MEC Era
By: David Bacon
The Global Labor Solidarity Program at the UCLA Labor Center believes that in a global economy, unions and workers must come together across borders. Multinational corporations know no borders and can dodge labor and environmental regulations. Factory workers, garment workers, farm workers, migrant workers, and gig workers pay the price.
On Feb. 9-10, 2024 in Los Angeles, California, the UCLA Labor Center convened more than 80 labor leaders and workers from the U.S., Mexico and Canada for the “Worker Solidarity in Action: A Tri-national Labor Response to the USMCA” summit. This report, written by journalist David Bacon, conveys the main objective of the event—to foster transnational labor collaboration and to create a space for strategic discussions surrounding worker rights campaigns in communities across North America.
The summit included representatives from: The Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA), AFSCME United Domestic Workers of America (UDW), SEIU 2015, the California Domestic Workers Coalition (CDWC), The Institute of Popular Education of Southern California (IDEPSCA), Nuestras Manos, the United Auto Workers (UAW), the Solidarity Center, GM Local 6625, Rideshare Drivers United, Gig Workers United, Unión Nacional de Trabajadores por Aplicación (UNTA), International Association of App-based Transport Workers (IAATW), Sindicato Nacional de Trabajadores y Trabajadoras del Hogar (SINACTRAHO), Liga Sindical Obrera Mexicana, and the California Domestic Workers Coalition among others.
