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Labor advocates this week took a novel approach to challenging what they call Alabama’s anti-immigrant law by filing a complaint against it under the North American Free Trade Agreement, or NAFTA. The 18 year old free trade agreement between the US and Mexico has been bemoaned by US labor unions for undermining labor protections.

However the Service Employees International Union, SEIU for short, and a the Mexican National Association of Democratic Lawyers contend Alabama’s tough immigration law HB 56 violates a NAFTA provision. Specifically, migrant workers are afforded the same protections with respect to working conditions as are US nationals. The SEIU and the labor lawyers contend that Alabama’s law, which is considered one of the most punitive in the nation, violates working conditions by negatively impacting collective bargaining rights and creating an environment where labor violations flourish. The complaint also contends Alabama’s law encourages racial profiling by law enforcement, schools, and other public institutions. The Mexican Labor Department will evaluate the complaint and call for an investigation if it deems one is necessary.

The SEIU and a coalition of groups have been fighting against HB56 in a far reaching campaign. This week’s NAFTA complaint was preceded by a complaint filed with the International Labor Organization in Geneva and by a campaign seeking to persuade business owners to oppose the bill because it harms their interests.

GUEST: Eliseo Medina, International Secretary-Treasurer of the Service Employees International Union