Chamber Submits Comments to USTR Questioning Rapid Response Investigations
A senior U.S. Chamber of Commerce official submitted follow-up comments on rapid response petitions, complaining that a petition is in a state that is not yet required to complete its ratification or rejection of union contracts, and that an alleged violation happened in part before July 1, 2020, when the USMCA went into force. The Chamber said this petition that comes before the deadline “carries the potential to set a dangerous precedent.” Glenn Spencer, senior vice president in the employment policy division, wrote to the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative June 23, saying that “[t]he possibility of imposing remedies on a facility for failure to comply with the USMCA before the USMCA entered into force is a violation of the right to due process and should not be tolerated.” He also said that the owner of a facility that is being investigated for a denial of rights “must be included in consultation and remediation efforts resulting from a review.”