NAFTA and the Labor Debate Essay -- Economy Trade Essays

NAFTA and the Labor Debate The Debate Since the end of the eighties and the beginning of the nineties, there has been a surge in the creation of trade agreements all over the world. The one encompassing the largest area and affecting the greatest number of people is the North American Free Trade Agreement (Text of the NAFTA, Organization of American States). The three major countries of North America signed this regional trade agreement in 1993: Mexico, the United States, and Canada. The North American Free Trade Agreement or the NAFTA, as it became popularly called, was an effort that was initiated by the United States. At first, there existed the CFTA agreement between the United States and Canada. Later the U.S. Administration saw it as beneficial if the country of Mexico entered the free trade agreement. In August of 1990, then Mexican President Carlos Salinas de Gortari formally applied to enter a free trade arrangement with the United States. Six months later, Canada announced that it too would join the negotiation s for a tri-national trade agreement (Coote, p. 7). The agreement was signed and approved by the governments of the three countries and the NAFTA came into effect on January 1, 1994. Interdependence and Free Trade, These are the two most fashionable words spoken by economists and world leaders today. The majority of the nations of the world are involved one type of trade agreement or another and nearly all of the countries in the world are members of the World Trade Organization. With this surge in interdependence and trade agreements however, there have surged many problems and issues that cause much controversy and discordance. One of the main issues that has caused controversy, especially in th... ...TA" in Alan Rugman, 1994. Foreign Investment in NAFTA. Columbia SC. University of South Carolina Press Smith, Adam. 1976. An Inquiery into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press Department Of Labor. Bureau of Labor Statistics. www.stats.bls.gov Table A-4, Selective Employment Indicators Secretaria de Trabajo y Prevision Social. Estadisticas Laborales. Trabajadores Asegurados Permanentes Por Gran Division de Actividad Economica Registrados en el IMSS. www.stps.gob.mx United States – Mexico Chamber of Commerce. "The North American Free Trade Agreement at Five Years : What It Means for the U.S. and Mexico" www.usmcoc.org /naftafor.html United States – Mexico Chamber of Commerce. "The North American Free Trade Agreement: Five Years Linking U.S. and Mexican Markets" http://www.usmcoc.org/nafta5_eng.html