The AFL-CIO, the nation’s largest labor federation, on Monday demanded transparency in the renegotiations for the North American Free Trade Agreement, which will begin Wednesday.
The federation, which has long opposed the deal among the U.S., Canada and Mexico, argued that all of the details regarding the talks must be made public, a request likely to be opposed by the White House and its trade partners.
“We are setting the bar high. We will only accept a deal that is renegotiated the right way. That means having a transparent process in which working families have a seat at the table, and ensuring that our freedom to stand together is protected and that all of us can receive a fair return on our hard work,” AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka said in a statement Monday.
Trumka added that the discussions are “an incredible opportunity to replace this fundamentally flawed trade deal,” adding, “But how we do it matters.” He said the current version of the deal has “flat-out failed” working people.
Transparency is often demanded by critics of international trade deals, who argue that openness prevents provisions from being hidden from the public. Trade negotiators prefer to keep the details under wraps until the talks are completed, arguing that confidentiality is needed to ensure a free-flowing debate between trade partners.
President Trump is a long-time critic of NAFTA, having argued that the U.S.’s trading partners have gotten the better of the deal. The White House nevertheless has indicated that the administration will seek to tweak rather than throw out the deal. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer has said the administration would focus on adding a digital economy chapter, eliminating “unfair subsidies,” a thinly veiled reference to Canadian dairy, poultry and timber policies, prohibiting duties on digital products such as music and e-books, and establishing uniform rules to protect intellectual property, among other goals.
