The Mexican Railwaymen’s Union (STFRM) has officially joined with the Teamsters Rail Conference USA and Teamsters Canada Railway Conference to press for labor rights and infrastructure investment in any revised North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).
Negotiators have been locked in debate over the agreement for months, ever since President Donald Trump called for revisions or elimination of the existing three-nation agreement. Now, these unions have written a joint letter demanding that all industry workers on the continent receive fair treatment and the infrastructure gets the cash it needs.
“We urge you to commit, whether in the text of NAFTA 2.0 or in a simultaneous tri-national side agreement, to invest a minimum of 2 percent of gross domestic product annually on transportation infrastructure construction, repair, and maintenance,” the letter said. “Especially along our two borders, the bridges and interchanges should be upgraded as part of NAFTA modernization.”
They also sought to cut down on union members crossing into the exclusive territory of other unions. In that regard, they asked for clear language making it so that freight rail crew changes occur at interchanges near border crossings, so the proper party is always aboard.