Advancing Labor Standards and Enforcement in Trade Deals

Trade deals expose workers to competition from workplaces with different wage levels and labor conditions. Without strong labor rights and effective enforcement mechanisms, this competition can foster a race to the bottom in wages and working conditions at home and abroad.

The United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) includes the most advanced labor terms in any trade agreement worldwide. USMCA requires countries to ensure their domestic labor laws provide the rights guaranteed in the International Labor Organization’s core conventions. To enforce these protections, the USMCA includes an innovative facility-specific enforcement mechanism, called the Rapid Response Mechanism (RRM), that allows company-level sanctions when workers are being denied their right to organize and bargain collectively.

Rethink Trade is among few organizations litigating RRM cases and has identified crucial improvements needed to make it deliver on its goals. The USMCA requires the United States, Mexico, and Canada to review and either renew or start a countdown to terminate the deal by July 1, 2026. Learn more about the review timeline here.

Rethink Trade provides legal support for workers and unions that leverage the RRM and other trade deal corporate accountability tools. We also provide expert analysis through reports, policy briefs, and events to promote ongoing improvements to labor standards in trade agreements.