Free Trade Agreement Labor Meetings

Each U.S. Free Trade Agreement (or FTA) has a council with high-level and technical labor and trade officials from both countries. As part of our normal work, we talk about labor issues and technical cooperation with our FTA partners over the phone, informally during visits, or via email. These councils meet periodically to have face-to-face conversations on key labor issues, changes to labor law, and potential technical cooperation needs.

Additionally, these meetings always include public session the next day so that you, the public, can get involved. Attending a public session is a great way to hear about the issues and possible cooperation the governments discussed in their meetings. You may also directly ask questions to officials from the U.S. and the other country’s government about labor issues that you consider a priority. Your input informs our conversations and future cooperation on labor issues with our trading partners. These meetings strengthen our relationship with other governments to better address important labor issues and give the public a chance to make their voice heard on the labor issues they care about.

Recent FTA Labor Meetings

The U.S. Government has held ten meetings on labor issues under the Labor Chapters of FTAs involving 16 trade partner countries. We have held meetings in Bahrain, Chile, El Salvador, Jordan, Mexico, Morocco, Oman, Peru, and Panama. We have also hosted meetings with Colombia and South Korea here in the U.S. Before FTAs included labor provisions, the U.S. also met with the Governments of Mexico and Canada under the North American Agreement on Labor Cooperation. By meeting in the U.S. and abroad, stakeholders in both countries can make their voices heard.