While the federal government brings a “Team Canada” trade delegation to Mexico this week, union representatives are making a parallel trip to push for worker-centred trade policies — and they say Ottawa’s exclusion of labour from the mission is a mistake.
Members of the United Steelworkers (USW), the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) and the AFL-CIO Solidarity Center are travelling to Mexico from Feb. 18 to 24 to meet with Mexican union allies and discuss trade policy ahead of a pending review of the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA).
What the unions plan to do in Mexico
The labour delegation will hold meetings in Mexico City and travel to Aguascalientes to meet with workers organizing at several multinational corporations. Key topics will include the challenges Mexican workers face in forming unions, stronger labour protections under CUSMA, and the impact of U.S. tariffs and the broader trade dispute on workers and communities across North America.
The groups are also seeking meetings with officials from the Mexican, American and Canadian governments, as well as the International Labour Organization (ILO).
A joint news conference is scheduled for Friday, Feb. 20, at 12:30 p.m. Mexico City time (1:30 p.m. EST) at the Los Mineros union headquarters in Mexico City. The event will be livestreamed.
USW calls for a seat at the table
USW National Director for Canada Marty Warren said unions in all three countries are aligned in their goals.
“Unions in our three countries are committed to building cross-border solidarity to fight for fair-trade rules that raise working and living standards for all workers,” said Warren.
Warren said the Canadian government needs to change its approach to trade negotiations and bring labour into the process.
“We need a worker-centred trade strategy,” he said. “The Canadian government must engage with unions and bring them into trade negotiations. Workers need a seat at the table.”
Warren also cautioned against any rushed agreement on CUSMA renewal.
“Workers don’t want the government trading away their jobs, livelihoods, or economic future just to renew a flawed deal,” he said. “We want to see trade policies that deliver good union jobs, fair wages and long-term economic security, not short-term fixes that leave working people behind.”
Why this matters for HR and business leaders
The parallel mission signals growing friction between organized labour and the federal government over trade strategy at a critical moment. With CUSMA’s formal review on the horizon and U.S. tariffs already disrupting North American supply chains, employers in unionized sectors may face increased pressure from workers demanding stronger protections and a more prominent role for unions in shaping trade outcomes.
The USW represents 225,000 members across Canada and approximately 850,000 members across Canada, the United States and the Caribbean, according to the union.
