WASHINGTON – U.S. Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh and Spain’s Second Vice President and Minister of Labor and Social Economy Yolanda Díaz Pérez met in Washington on July 20, 2022, to sign a Memorandum of Understanding that reasserts both countries’ commitment to addressing a wide range of concerns affecting workers and underserved populations. 

“The Memorandum of Understanding between the labor departments in the U.S. and Spain signifies our shared commitment to giving workers a stronger voice, protecting workers’ rights, ensuring equity for vulnerable populations, and addressing climate change and the increased risks of heat illness,” explained Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh. “This partnership is testament to the strength of our relationship and an indication that our joint efforts to protect working people in both countries is paramount.”

Learn more about the department’s international work.

WASHINGTON – U.S. Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh and U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai today announced that the United States has asked Mexico to review whether workers at the Teksid Hierro de México facility in Frontera, State of Coahuila, are being denied the rights of free association and collective bargaining.

The request, which was made in response to a petition filed under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement Implementation Act, marks the fourth time that the U.S. has requested Mexico’s review of freedom of association and collective bargaining rights issues under the Rapid Response Labor Mechanism.

“The U.S. Department of Labor will continue working with our trade partners and the private sector to secure freedom of association and collective bargaining rights, which are foundations of our worker-centered trade agenda,” said Secretary Marty Walsh. “As we have done with other Rapid Response Labor Mechanism cases, we look forward to collaborating with the government of Mexico to ensure that workers can choose their union representatives freely and without interference.”

USMCA’s Labor Chapter contains a bilateral annex that requires Mexico to have specific laws necessary for the effective recognition of the right to collective bargaining. The annex mirrors key provisions of Mexico’s historic 2019 labor law reform. The first-of-its-kind Rapid Response Labor Mechanism provides for expedited enforcement of collective bargaining and free association rights at the facility level.

“We continue to use the USMCA’s Rapid Response Labor Mechanism to defend workers’ rights and remain committed to working closely with the Mexican government to do so,” said Ambassador Katherine Tai. “When our trade policy helps to ensure that workers in all countries can exercise their rights, it helps drive a race to the top.”

In connection with the U.S. request, Ambassador Tai has directed the Secretary of the Treasury to suspend the liquidation for all unliquidated entries of goods from the Teksid Hierro facility. 

The U.S. Trade Representative and the Secretary of Labor co-chair the Interagency Labor Committee for Monitoring and Enforcement. On May 5, 2022, the ILC received a RRM petition from the United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America, the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations, and Sindicato Nacional de Trabajadores Mineros, Metalúrgicos, Siderúgicos y Similares de la República Mexicana, a Mexican union. The petition alleged that workers at the Teksid Hierro automotive parts facility in Frontera are being denied the right of free association and collective bargaining.  The ILC reviews RRM petitions that it receives, and the accompanying information, within 30 days.

In response to the petition, the ILC determined that there is sufficient credible evidence of a denial of rights enabling the good faith invocation of enforcement mechanisms. As a result, the U.S. Trade Representative has submitted a request to Mexico that it review whether workers at the Teksid Hierro facility are being denied the right of free association and collective bargaining. Mexico has 10 days to agree to conduct a review and, if it agrees, 45 days from today to complete the review. 

Last month, the U.S. submitted a request for review to Mexico on a Panasonic automotive parts facility. Learn more about the request on the Panasonic facility.

Read the request for review of the allegations at the Teksid facility.

Read the USTR’s communication to the Department of the Treasury to suspend the liquidation for all unliquidated entries of goods from the Teksid Hierro facility. 

Learn more about the department’s international work.

Learn more about the work of USTR’s Labor Office.

WASHINGTON – U.S. Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh issued the following statement on the April 2022 Employment Situation Report:

“Today, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the American economy added 428,000 jobs in the month of April, and the unemployment rate was 3.6 percent, unchanged from March. With 8.3 million jobs created since President Biden took office, and an average of more than 500,000 new jobs added per month in 2022, this sustained, powerful job growth continues America’s historic, worker-centered recovery under the Biden-Harris administration. Job growth was widespread across the economy, led by especially strong results for workers in the Leisure and Hospitality, Manufacturing, and Transportation and Warehousing sectors. Ninety-five percent of the jobs lost to the pandemic are now recovered, insured unemployment is at a historically low level, and labor market disruptions due to COVID-19 are at all-time lows. This is good news for America’s working families.

 “The policies driving this job growth are also empowering workers in ways we haven’t seen in decades. Record numbers of workers are starting new jobs, increasing their wages and opening new businesses. The President’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is beginning to invest in communities and create good jobs throughout the country. Workers are launching union organizing drives across an unprecedented range of industries. At the same time, equity remains a concern; while the unemployment rate among Black workers decreased by 0.3 percentage points in April, it remains nearly double that of white workers.

“At the Department of Labor, we are focused on empowering all workers morning, noon and night to seize this moment and secure the opportunities this historic recovery affords. Through our Good Jobs Initiative, we are working to ensure that the jobs created in this economy provide good wages and benefits, safe and healthy working conditions, and equitable access to skills training and career advancement in every community of our country.”