Mexico said it disagrees with the U.S. government allegation that Grupo Yakazi, an auto parts factory in Guanajuato, was violating the rights of its workers. The U.S. filed the complaint in early August (see 2308070065); the Mexican Economy Secretary announced on Aug. 18 it is rejecting the complaint.
The U.S. has initiated the formation of a dispute settlement panel over Mexico's decree to not allow biotech corn for tortillas and directive to the administration to gradually substitute genetically modified corn in processed foods and in animal feed.
International Trade Today is providing readers with the top stories from last week in case they were missed. All articles can be found by searching on the titles or by clicking on the hyperlinked reference number.
Mexico's Foreign Affairs Secretary Alicia Bárcena, on her first trip to Washington, put USMCA first in her list of priorities, saying that in the less than 14 months left in the administration she is part of, she wants "to be able to bring certainty" in the NAFTA replacement, and to engage across all three countries in various sectors. "It's very important to consolidate this very important economic framework, and to make sure even if we are leaving in 13 months that this can remain as a powerful ... mechanism of trade and investment and economic development and partnership," she said at the Atlantic Council Aug. 10.
Office of the U.S. Trade Representative senior advisers Jamila Thompson and Beth Baltzan and special counsel Victor Ban said during a recent trip to Wyoming, Montana and Idaho that workers they heard from want the office to increase the use of enforcement tools in the USMCA.
After a complaint from Casa Obrera del Bajio, a Mexican labor organization in Guanajuato state, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative is asking Mexico to review whether workers at the Grupo Yakazi factory there were denied rights to freedom of association because of irregularities during the workers' vote in March on whether to retain the union that had been representing them.
A listing of recent Commerce Department antidumping and countervailing duty messages posted on CBP's website Aug. 2, along with the case number(s) and CBP message number, is provided below. The messages are available by searching for the listed CBP message number at CBP's ADCVD Search page.
Mexico has rejected a rapid response mechanism complaint from the U.S. concerning employer actions at a lead, zinc and copper mine called San Martin, in Zacatecas state. This is the first time Mexico has disagreed with a request, but the government signaled this position during the trinational summit last month (see 2307070043).
The U.S. and Mexico this week resolved a complaint involving workers' rights at the Draxton auto parts foundry in Irapuato, Guanajuato, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative announced July 31, marking the fifth time the countries agreed on a formal course of remediation under the USMCA's Rapid Response Labor Mechanism.
The interagency committee that manages rapid response labor complaints under the USMCA made one pro-business change to the petition and investigation guidelines, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce highlighted in a recent blog post.