[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 214 (Friday, November 7, 2025)]
[Notices]
[Page 50501]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2025-19818]
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OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES TRADE REPRESENTATIVE
Notification of the Third United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement
Labor Council Meeting
AGENCY: Office of the United States Trade Representative.
ACTION: Notice and request for comments.
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SUMMARY: The Parties to the Agreement between the United States of
America, the United Mexican States, and Canada (USMCA) intend to hold
the third meeting of the Labor Council on December 9-10, 2025. The
meeting will include a closed in-person government-to-government Labor
Council session in Ottawa, Canada, and a virtual public session on
implementation of the USMCA labor chapter. The Office of the United
States Trade Representative (USTR) and the U.S. Department of Labor
(DOL) invite comments and questions from the public in advance of the
virtual public session.
DATES:
November 25, 2025: Details for registering for participation in the
virtual public session will be made available on DOL and USTR websites.
December 1, 2025, 11:59 p.m. EST: The deadline for submission of
questions or comments.
December 10, 2025, 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. EST: The Labor Council
will convene a virtual public session.
ADDRESSES: Submit written questions and/or comments to
[email protected] and [email protected]. All
submissions must include the subject line USMCA Labor Council Meeting.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Brenna Dougan, Deputy Assistant U.S.
Trade Representative for Labor Affairs, USTR at 202-395-7391, or
Samantha Tate, Division Chief for USMCA Monitoring and Enforcement,
Office of Trade and Labor Affairs, Bureau of International Labor
Affairs, DOL at 202-693-4920.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Background
Article 23.14 of the USMCA establishes a Labor Council composed of
senior government representatives from trade and labor ministries that
must meet every two years. The Council last met on June 28-29, 2023,
and agreed to hold another meeting in 2025. The Labor Council may
consider any matter within the scope of Chapter 23 (Labor) and perform
other functions as the Parties may decide.
In conducting its activities, including meetings, the Labor Council
must provide a means for receiving and considering the views of
interested persons on matters related to the labor chapter. If
practicable, meetings will include a public session or other means for
Labor Council members to meet with the public to discuss matters
relating to the implementation of Chapter 23 (Labor). Accordingly, the
Parties invite questions and comments from interested persons, and the
December 9-10, 2025, Labor Council meeting will include a virtual
public session.
Labor Council decisions and reports are made by consensus and will
be made publicly available unless the Council decides otherwise. The
Labor Council issues a joint summary report or statement on its work at
the end of each Council meeting.
II. Labor Council Meeting
The Labor Council will include an in-person, government-to-
government closed session to discuss the Parties' Chapter 23 (Labor)
obligations and to review the operation and effectiveness of the
Chapter, in line with Article 23.14.5 (Labor Council). There will also
be a virtual public session. The government-to-government session will
not be open to the public.
III. Public Session on USMCA Chapter 23 Implementation
The Labor Council invites members of the public to participate in a
virtual public session on December 10, 2025, from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00
p.m. EST, to address USMCA Chapter 23 (Labor) implementation. Details
for registering for virtual participation in the public session will be
made available by November 25 on both the USTR website at https://ustr.gov/issue-areas/labor, and the DOL website at https://www.dol.gov/agencies/ilab/our-work/trade/labor-rights-usmca.
IV. Comments
The Labor Council is interested in the views of interested persons
on matters related to the USMCA labor chapter. DOL and USTR invite
specific comments and questions about the labor chapter that could be
addressed at the public session. When preparing comments and questions,
we encourage submitters to refer to Chapter 23 of the USMCA (https://ustr.gov/sites/default/files/files/agreements/FTA/USMCA/Text/23-Labor.pdf) and the USMCA Interagency Labor Committee for Monitoring and
Enforcement Final Procedural Guidelines for Petitions Pursuant to the
USMCA, 88 FR 40914 (June 22, 2023) (https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2023-06-22/pdf/2023-12865.pdf).
Katherine Mastman,
Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for Labor Affairs, Office of the
United States Trade Representative.
[FR Doc. 2025-19818 Filed 11-6-25; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3390-F4-P