UAW Fights Back: Why the Japan Trade Deal is a Betrayal of American Workers

The UAW is deeply angered by the Trump administration’s announced trade deal with Japan. What we’ve seen so far makes one thing clear: American workers are once again being left behind.

For decades, Japanese automakers have exploited open access to the U.S. market while failing to do right by American workers. Now, instead of addressing the problem, this deal gives them another break—at the expense of the very companies and workers that built the American auto industry into the global standard for good jobs and world-class products.

The UAW has pushed for well-crafted tariffs as a tool to level the playing field, bring back good jobs, and drive investment in American manufacturing. We know tariffs can work—but the execution here falls far short. Shifting timelines and moving goalposts have undermined business confidence and delayed investment. So far, only GM has stepped up with serious reshoring efforts.

Rather than building on that momentum—rewarding companies investing in union jobs—this deal hands a win to transnational automakers that rely on low-road labor practices: substandard wages, excessive temps, and union-busting.

Now, those same companies stand to benefit from lower tariffs, while unionized automakers—who could quickly create tens of thousands of good jobs using existing capacity—are left with fewer incentives to do so. Once again, American workers are being forced to suffer the consequences.

A better deal would have held Japanese automakers to the same standards U.S. workers have fought for at GM, Ford, and Stellantis: living wages, quality health care, secure retirements, job stability, and the freedom to form unions without intimidation.

If this becomes the blueprint for trade with Europe or South Korea, it will be a major missed opportunity. After decades of failed trade policy, American workers don’t need another deal that pushes them down for demanding a better life.

We need trade deals that raise standards—not reward the race to the bottom. This deal does the opposite.

The UAW is calling on the Trump administration to rethink this deal and prioritize American workers. We need a trade policy that creates good jobs, supports domestic manufacturing, and holds foreign competitors to the same standards we demand for ourselves. This deal is a betrayal of American workers, and it’s time to fight back!