Amid Trump’s trade war on Canada’s manufacturing capacity and its workers, the Steelworkers Humanity Fund organized a tour by partner unions from Mexico and Canadian experts to discuss the tariff impacts on workers and the economy.
In September, the group visited USW Area Councils and locals, toured factories to meet members and participated in forums at universities in cities across Ontario and Quebec.
Marco Chavez and Miguel Angel Villalobos came from Los Mineros union at ArcelorMittal’s steel mill in Lazaro Cardenas, Michoacán, which has a production capacity of two million tons of iron ore, six million tons of crude steel and employs 8,000 workers. Like Canada, Mexico has been hit by 50% tariffs, despite the U.S. being a net exporter of steel to the country.
“The visit contributed to strengthening the bonds of unity between Mexican and Canadian workers, in the context of the threats that we’re facing,” said Marco.
“We’ll continue working on shared strategies for dealing with the challenges we face from multinational corporations,” added Miguel.
Eladio de la Cruz represented the Authentic Labour Front (Frente Autentico del Trabajo, or the FAT). His union is organizing workers at Eaton Corporation in Aguascalientes who manufacture engine valves for heavy trucks.
Eaton claims a commitment to human rights, but management has favoured a pro-employer union, laid off union supporters and threatened more firings before the union vote. The USW represents workers at Eaton in Canada and the U.S.
“We have similar problems, but also a big opportunity. International solidarity can have a positive impact on workers’ lives,” said Eladio.
USW staff representative in the Research, Public Policy and Bargaining Support Department Guio Jacinto and director of the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives’ Trade and Investment Research Project Stuart Trew joined the delegation for part of their journey and shared expertise on the impact of Trump’s tariffs on Canada’s steel, aluminum, automotive, manufacturing and forestry sectors. In the face of Trump’s attacks, it remains critical to build a trinational response rooted in workers’ solidarity.
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This article appears in the Winter 2025 issue of USW@Work magazine.