This is not good news for Canada who appears to be hoping that leftists in congress will support the Canadian position on retention of the USMCA trade deal. However, the position of the United Auto Workers and their President Shawn Fain works perfectly with the position of President Trump and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer.
The UAW leadership supported Kamala Harris in 2024, and they carry a lot of sway with Democrats in congress. In fact, it is entirely possible the 20 Democrat Senators who wrote a letter to USTR Greer about getting tough on Mexico and Canada, may have been responding directly to what UAW President Shawn Fain is demanding.
The UAW rank and file align with President Trump and their leadership, despite their roots of alignment with Democrats, support the trade tariff approach by President Trump. All of that nuanced interest now begins to assemble quickly, and the political leverage plan of Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney looks weaker by the day.
Wall Street Journal – As North America’s trade treaty approaches renewal or renegotiation this summer, United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain slammed the deal and called on the U.S. to upend it—or scrap it altogether.
Fain’s position pits the 400,000-member union against both the American and foreign-based automakers that are calling on the U.S. to preserve the U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade treaty, or USMCA.
[…] Fain blamed USMCA and its predecessor, the North American Free Trade Agreement, for the loss of millions of American auto manufacturing jobs over the last several decades.
“Where it didn’t eliminate jobs entirely, it slashed wages and benefits,” said Fain, wearing a “Kill NAFTA” T-shirt on a video call. “There is no future for the U.S. working class that doesn’t address the free-trade disaster.”
[…] While Fain endorsed Kamala Harris for president in 2024, he has been a vocal supporter of Trump’s tariffs on foreign automobiles. He is one of the few prominent voices within the auto industry to embrace higher duties.
[…] Trump has said the levies are needed for national security, and his team has publicly considered ditching the USMCA or splitting it into two separate deals as the governments undertake a review of the agreement this year. (read more)
This is one of those interesting MAGAnomic sub-plots that is worth paying attention to. President Trump and Jamieson Greer have repeatedly hinted they are going to formally announce the exit of the USMCA (CUSMA in Canada) trade agreement in favor of two bilateral deals. The position of the UAW aligns with that approach.
If the UAW supports dissolving the USMCA, then suddenly Mark Carney loses his strategic plan to leverage Democrats for retention of it.
Keep in mind, Toyota has already told Canadian trade officials that if they lose the USMCA the Japanese auto giant will close manufacturing in Canada and just produce more in the USA. Several other auto companies have put Canadian investment on hold due to the same outlook.
All in all, this is good news for those who would prefer to see two bilateral trade agreements, one with Mexico and one with Canada. There is no reasonable way for Canada to retain their carbon trade/exchange policy and remain compliant with both U.S. and Mexico manufacturing.
Good. Let the pervert democrats swallow that.
Phrasing?!
I would say intentional….. and well played….
Although it’s certainly true that politics makes strange bedfellows, the UAW do not and will not do anything that will benefit us in our effort to save the country.
The unions and their leftist benefactors in congress will continue to oppose us.
Doesn’t your reading of the rank and file of the UAW sound like what the elites on the coasts resemble when discussing us knuckledraggers in flyover country?
I was forced out of my printing job in 2017, and I was one of a few professed MAGA. Actually the only one.
But President Trump won three elections, and he didn’t do it without the “silent majority” of auto workers and waitresses, and the middle aged men and women who were replaced by:
1) Asian and Indonesian and Indian call center reps or factory workers or slaves who would work for 1/6th of our citizens.
2) 15-20MM illegals let in under the potatoes installation who are doing substandard work on your new house, your roof, your siding, not to mention impregnating your daughters.
The rank and file GOP/conservatives still, after all this time, have a problem with sounding like Mitt Romney’s best office manager.
This is what has always gotten the GOP/conservatives in trouble with the blue collar vote (and the minority vote) to the advantage of the Dems and the New Right. It’s been that way for decades now; quite the programming.
And to think that the party itself did not start out that way…
Why do I feel that I should expect certain GOP members to take the opposite position just to continue with the theater?
At least there are several fewer of them around next year.
Reality strikes and assembly line jobs in Canada are not UAW jobs. Dims no longer represent blue collar workers at all, at all.
Fair trade, not globalust “free trade”.
That said the Unions are at their core socialist engines which bastardize and eventually kill their own job market.
What a laugh that dims and union leaders think that it’s the same old game…..much less Canada……wake up to reality.
I read that as ‘Global lust’…… good thinking!!
“Fair trade” was how globalist “free trade” has been sold to voters. Time for something new: First trade. We do trade that benefits our own people; not the Chamber of Commerce types.
I love it when elbows go up!
A friend paid more for his new American made vehicle than I paid for my house.
A ten year car note?!
That’s the problem with the auto industry.
If you don’t make the cars you can’t afford the cars.
A lot of this has to do with all the standards they’ve put on American autos — there’s a reason people want the Hilux on the market here.
It would be another nail in the Democrat coffin if they side with Canadians over the US auto workers? They side with foreigners and illegals on just about everything, but this is a bridge too far.
The result would be what one would expect from a guy like Carney. Harris is more competent than Carney.
I’m sure they would put the screws to the workers, but they have a ‘civil war’ of their own. This lands on the side of “big companies vs. workers” so their progressives will raise a stink. And right before midterms.
Standing up for American workers is a pretty potent midterm ad campaign, no?
Never underestimate the Demonrats ability to go full speed stupid!
The GOPe types are running right along with them. Thune – I’m looking at you.
They will frame it as “we are the only ones who can see the far-off ramifications of not aligning with our neighbors.”
Clock is ticking. No more waiting. Let’s get separate trade deals done before the midterms.
The media will spin this as Trump’s USMCA trade deal was so bad that he wants to end it.
And Trump ought to agree with them with a small addition: it was slightly better than NAFTA, but it was always designed to be dissolved.
Why has the UAW sat in silence when “American” auto manufacturers are building vehicles in Canada and Mexico and China (Buick)
The UAW is just another tool being used and if some had their way no automaker would be building cars in the U.S.
Then what ?
There are Canadian readers of the Treehouse who know what is going on. It is not that puzzling what Carney is doing to Canada and the risk it poses. I am very fond of Canada, being only a short distance from the border I have spent time exploring the country. It is a lovely place and my experience with the people who live there is very positive.
I am sure the onslaught of mainstream propaganda is relentless, but it should eventually break down leaving the “leadership” of Canada exposed for the Marxist tools they are. It cannot happen soon enough for the sake of the people who live there.
I can see why there is a trail of destruction and misery behind Mark Carney, no foresight, certainly not on the level of President Trump and his Cabinet. Carney`s pal, Barry Obama, and the other undesirables, are no better in economics either. The slime trail left after the secret meeting in Canada must have been enormous. I am all for reducing trade, defense, and cooperation with Canada because they have proven to be of little use and more of a burden and a parasite. Of course, this is my personal opinion and the way I see it. It is way past time for Canada to grow up and stand on their own feet, and they need to be weaned off of the American teat.
Epstein Island Carney is on the hot seat. That global warming is murder; liar, liar, pants on fire.
Carney is too busy and delusional rallying NATO to defend Greenland from Trump to pause and let reality bust him in the mouth.
He’s a crazy, godless neighbor. 👊✝️👊
And the political twin of Starmer over in the UK.
O! Canada! 🇨🇦
You’re in trouble now!
True patriot love
Will no longer kowtow!
With knowing hearts we see your lies
Are are saddened
As your hope all dies
God yet may save your land,
Glorious and free
O Canada!
Get rid of Mark Carney!
O Canada!
Get rid of Mark Carney!
MAGA Fabulous!
A rising tide lifts all boats!
United Auto Workers all of a sudden started to think $ instead of parties?…bill
The letter written by the democrats just indicates they know its a good thing and they want the credit. The media, of course, will be more than happy to point out what they did and so, when it happens, they’ll be celebrated. President Trump won’t even get honorable mention.
It’s the Democrat coalition that is fracturing, not the MAGA coalition.
Remember that the next time you see some troll invading the Treehouse with their doomscrolling malarkey.
Need to also work the AFL-CIO Chairwoman, Liz Schuler.
She is a lawyer and business woman, not your traditional labor union leader.
Winning her over would be a 2 for 1 as she was the chairwoman for Technology based Unions before assuming her role as leader of the AFL-CIO. This is where H1B legislation would be badly needed.
I know this train of thought just doesn’t work in DC, but it’s the right thing to do for the American people!! The UAW is just now saying out loud what we have all known for years, if not decades. I don’t care how it affects Canada or Mexico. I care how these decisions and treaties affect all of us who work hard and pay those bloated salaries in our nation’s capital.
USMCA/CUSMA, really.
Cannot have two names for one agreement, tells you there never was a coming together on this agreement. Making it null and void already. Good luck Canada except your fate and start to put the citizens of Canada before yourself centered selfish selves.
I am still very thankful PDJT ended the TPP:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trans-Pacific_Partnership
And then there’s this… https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2026/05/new-oil-rich-province-alberta-hold-referendum-independence/
Polymarket JUST IN: Canadian province now projected to schedule a referendum to secede, as Alberta independence gains momentum. 64% chance.
To Carney…. Niaise avec la puck, tu vas voir! [French Canadian Translation: FAFO!]
However, I’m seeing the following commentary out there from Canadian residents, so not sure what’s what:
“There already was a Referendum vote scheduled for October 19th to start the legal process of Alberta breaking away from Canada if it passed…..which would be binding.
But an extreme liberal judge in Canada blocked the measure about 4 days ago, it is being appealed.
However yesterday, the Alberta leader, Danielle Smith, got so many Alberta citizens responding to her office mad that the courts could shutdown a proper vote that she said there would still be a vote, but it would be non-binding. Which makes the “vote” a farce and a joke because of a corrupted process. It means the vote is essentially meaningless now. She is playing politics. The people who brought the petition have already appealed to try and make the vote binding.”
I listened to her speech – she doesn’t think that the appeal would be addressed in any kind of timely manner which is why she made it non-binding to get around the judge.
UAW Wins! Unifor Loses!
UAW will vote MAGA for 20 years.
July 8th is looming, Canada is doomed.
Only took the unions 35 years and thousands of plant/factory closings to figure out NAFTA was a death sentence for America’s manufacturing industry. Idiots! Who remembers what Ross Perot said about NAFTA? The uni party backed all of it. Now Trump is trying to save us but the factories have been shut down and the equipment/machinery liquidated. Don’t believe me? Come take a tour of Anderson Indiana or Flint Michigan.