US Department of Labor, US Trade Representative secure another USMCA enforcement victory in Amphenol case

WASHINGTON - The United States today announced the successful resolution of the USMCA Rapid Response Labor Mechanism (RRM) matter at the Amphenol Optimize México, S.A. de C.V. facility located in Nogales, Sonora, Mexico, which manufactures automotive and aerospace connectors, cables, and components. The resolution is another win for the Trump Administration, whose America First approach ensures our trade partners do not undermine worker protections to gain an unfair trade advantage or attract investment.

The United States and Mexico agreed on a course of remediation to address labor rights violations occurring at the facility, including employer interference in union activity and retaliatory dismissals of workers. That plan has now been implemented, and the Denial of Rights concerns raised in the U.S. request for review have been remediated. As a result, the United States Trade Representative has directed the Secretary of the Treasury to resume liquidation of unliquidated entries of goods from the facility.

The U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of International Labor Affairs, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, and the Mexican government facilitated a resolution with Amphenol to remediate workers' claims.

Actions taken by the facility to address the matter include:

• Reinstating nine workers with full backpay and benefits;
• Implementing a neutrality statement and guidelines related to the freedom of association and collective bargaining; and
• Installing and publicizing a complaint mechanism through which workers can report violations of their rights and breaches of company policies.

Actions taken by the Government of Mexico to address the matter include:

• Delivering in-person trainings for all company personnel on the freedom of association and collective bargaining;
• Monitoring the facility and engaging with workers and the company throughout its review period; and
• Maintaining a direct email address, reporting platform, and telephone line for workers to anonymously report any potential acts of unlawful interference or other violations of freedom of association and collective bargaining rights, and timely investigating any allegations.

The RRM, developed under the first Trump administration, is an unprecedented trade tool that works to level the playing field for American workers by addressing weak labor law enforcement in Mexican workplaces that compete in trade with the U.S.

Background

The United States Trade Representative and the Secretary of Labor co-chair the Interagency Labor Committee for Monitoring and Enforcement (ILC). On April 11, 2025, the ILC received an RRM petition from theSindicato Industrial Operaciones y Manufacturas, a Mexican labor union. The petition alleged that Amphenol had violated workers' right to freedom of association and collective bargaining by coercing workers to vote for the company-favored outcome during a union vote, discouraging workers from joining an independent union, and taking reprisals against workers due to their union preferences, including through dismissals. The ILC reviews RRM petitions that it receives, and the accompanying information, within 30 days. The ILC determined that there was sufficient, credible evidence of a denial of rights enabling the good faith invocation of enforcement mechanisms.

As a result, on May 9, 2025, the United States Trade Representative submitted a request to Mexico to review the matter. Mexico accepted the request, conducted an investigation, and worked with Amphenol to provide remediation to dismissed workers and implement facility-wide measures aimed at safeguarding freedom of association and collective bargaining rights. The United States has reviewed the matter and concluded the situation to have been remediated.

As a result of the above actions taken by the facility and Mexico to resolve the action, the United States agrees that there is no ongoing denial of rights. Ambassador Greer's letter directing the Secretary of the Treasury to resume liquidation of unliquidated entries of goods from the facility is available here.

Read the full course of remediation here.

Read an unofficial courtesy Spanish translation of the full course of remediation here.

Information about previous requests can be found here.

Learn more about the department's work to make global competition fair for American workers.