NAFTA job losses: here's a site searchable by company name:
citizen.org
A Sampling of NAFTA Related Job Loss...
NAFTA Trade Adjustment Assistance (NAFTA TAA)
Search the NAFTA TAA Database
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More than 525,094 U.S. workers have been certified as of December 31, 2002 under one
special NAFTA unemployment program, NAFTA Transitional Adjustment Assistance (NAFTA
TAA). These workers represent only a fraction of the total U.S. jobs lost due to NAFTA. The
NAFTA TAA program provides job training and income support to workers who meet very
narrow criteria. Only workers who know about and choose to apply for the program are even
considered, and only certain types of workers in certain types of companies can qualify.
Also, only workers who produce a product (rather than a service) that was directly affected by
NAFTA can qualify. The program's narrow criteria exclude a significant amount of NAFTA job loss.
For example, workers at an auto assembly plant that relocated to Mexico would be good
candidates for NAFTA TAA. But, the plants' parts manufacturers and suppliers, as well as stores
and restaurants in the community, would not be eligible for the program. The entire service
sector is exempt from the program.
The program only includes workers who have petitioned the Labor Department. The NAFTA TAA
program has certified 62% of the petitions it has received. Of course, many workers are not
aware that the program exists since there is no mandatory posting of information about the
program required for local unemployment offices. Also, many workers laid off under NAFTA may
apply instead for generic Trade Adjustment Assistance which provides the same benefits with
easier administrative requirements. Some unions advise members not to apply for NAFTA TAA
for this reason.
In a historic reversal, the U.S. has developed a trade deficit with Mexico since NAFTA. The $1.7
billion U.S. trade surplus with Mexico in 1993 has been transformed into an annual trade deficit
of $25.0 billion in 2000. The U.S. trade deficit with Canada has increased from $10.8 to $44.9
billion over the same period.
For a more thorough assessment of NAFTA job loss, please see the Economic Policy Institute's
NAFTA AT SEVEN: ITS IMPACT ON WORKERS IN ALL THREE NATIONS.
While NAFTA TAA represents only the tip of the iceberg of NAFTA job loss, it does provide a
useful sampling of some of the U.S. workers laid off because of NAFTA. While this job loss is a
matter of public record, NAFTA proponents can not provide documentation for more than a few
thousand NAFTA job gains. |
