The Biden administration announced Wednesday that it was asking Mexico to review whether labor violations had occurred at a General Motors plant in the country, a significant step using a new labor enforcement tool in the revised North American trade deal. The administration is seeking the review under the novel “rapid response” mechanism in the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, which replaced the North American Free Trade Agreement and took effect last summer. Under the mechanism, penalties can be brought against a specific factory for violating workers’ rights of free association and collective bargaining. The administration “received information appearing to indicate serious violations” of workers’ rights at the G.M. Mexico’s Labor Ministry said on Tuesday that it had found “serious irregularities” in the vote and ordered that it be held again within 30 days.

Source: New York Times May 12, 2021 15:57 UTC