A new Canadian approach to dairy tariff rate quotas, which still sharply limits the retail sale of imports, drew fire from three U.S. dairy trade groups.
USMCA
The U.S.-Mexico-Canada agreement is a free trade agreement between the three countries, also known as CUSMA in Canada and T-MEC in Mexico. Replacing the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) in 2020, the agreement contains a unique sunset provision where, after six years (in 2026), any of the three parties may decide not to continue the agreement in its current form and begin a period of up to 10 years where USMCA provisions may be renegotiated.
A listing of recent Commerce Department antidumping and countervailing duty messages posted to CBP's website March 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 ADD CVD Search page.
A listing of recent Commerce Department antidumping and countervailing duty messages posted to CBP's website March 1, 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 ADD CVD Search page.
After anxiety among some Democrats in the House that the union election at an auto parts factory in Matamoros, Mexico, would not be fair, the workers at Tridonex chose the Sindicato Nacional Independiente de Trabajadores de Industrias y Servicios, replacing a captive union that had represented the workers. The AFL-CIO had asked that the election be subject to a rapid response under USMCA, and the AFL-CIO said, "we will continue to support the union’s fight to negotiate a fair contract with the company. At the same time, we call on Mexican authorities to investigate disturbing allegations of bribery by the incumbent protection union in an effort to steal the election."
Leading trade officials from Mexico, Canada and the U.S. talked about how to collaborate on more resilient supply chains during a webinar hosted by a prominent Washington think tank, but the conversation could not avoid some of the touchy issues in the trilateral relationship.
The U.S. had no legal standing to impose safeguard tariffs on Canadian solar panels, a USMCA panel ruled in January. The panel report was made public on Feb. 15.
The U.S. is seeking formal consultations over how Mexico is enforcing laws aimed at protecting the endangered vaquita porpoise and the prohibition on the sale of the totoaba fish, after other discussions did not produce enough progress, officials from the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative said. These consultations are under the environmental chapter of the USMCA, not the dispute settlement chapter, but if the countries were not able to reach a negotiated settlement, the U.S. could table a dispute that could ultimately lead to tariffs, if the panel ruled against Mexico.
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative is inviting submissions on how USMCA is working in the automotive goods arena, "including the implementation and enforcement of the USMCA rules of origin for automotive goods" and whether the accord's automotive provisions "are relevant in light of technological and production advances." Comments can be submitted through March 28 in docket number USTR-2022-0001.
The tariff on most imported solar panels will drop to 14.75% at 12:01 a.m. on Feb. 7, and bifacial solar panels will continue to be exempt from the global safeguard, a presidential proclamation Feb. 4 says. The tariff rate quota threshold for solar cells will also double from 2.5 GW to 5 GW, making it unlikely any imported cells will be subject to the tariff.
The rapid response mechanism of USMCA overturned the initial union election at the General Motors pickup truck plant in Silao, Mexico, and despite Democrats' concern that the election would also be marred by intimidation (see 2201280018), workers overwhelmingly chose an independent union. The AFL-CIO issued a statement that said: "Together, in a democratic union, workers will advocate for higher wages and improved health and safety standards at the Silao facility, helping to set new standards in the automobile industry. The election itself set a hard-won precedent and came only after workers voted to throw out a previous contract that had poor benefits and was negotiated without the workers’ input. Workers overcame gross intimidation and election meddling, and their triumph is an example of what happens when workers stand together. This vote represents a rejection of the past and a new era for Mexican workers’ right to associate freely."