G20 Trade Ministers Gather in Milwaukee Amid Worker Advocacy Protests

In response to the conference, labor and environmental advocates staged a protest on Wednesday, emphasizing the need for trade policies that prioritize people over corporations. Despite light rain, protesters rallied downtown, carrying cardboard cutouts of headstones emblazoned with the names of companies like Master Lock, Cargill, and American Motors Corporation. A figure dressed as the Grim Reaper symbolically illustrated the loss of industrial jobs in the area.

John Drew, Vice Chair of the United Auto Workers Wisconsin State CAP Council and Vice President of UAW Local 72, criticized historical trade policies from both Republican and Democratic parties, tracing the decline of manufacturing jobs in Wisconsin back to the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) in the early 1990s. He described former President Trump's USMCA, or NAFTA 2.0, as a continuation of detrimental policies. Drew expressed concern over trade agreements with countries like Mexico, where wages are significantly lower than in the United States.

Reflecting on the past, Drew recalled a time when manufacturing was robust in Milwaukee, with 30% of the workforce engaged in this sector. He noted that in the 1970s, unionized manufacturing jobs provided living wages, health benefits, and pensions, contributing positively to communities.

Today, all automotive production in Wisconsin has ceased, and former manufacturing sites have been replaced by retail operations like Walmart, where low-wage workers sell products made overseas. Drew pointed out that the majority of cars and trucks produced in Mexico are exported to the U.S. and Canada, contending that Trump's tariffs have not revitalized American manufacturing.

U.S. Trade Ambassador Jamieson Greer stated that the Trump Administration aims to collaborate with G20 partners to foster fair and balanced global trade. However, opponents argue that the former president's tariffs have not yielded the intended benefits, and Drew warned against reverting to pre-Trump free trade policies.

Drew advocates for a “common-sense trade policy” that emphasizes the needs of workers, communities, and the environment, supporting a House proposal known as the Fair Trade for Working Families Resolution. He mentioned a petition advocating for worker-centered trade policies that has gained thousands of signatures and has been delivered to the trade ministers.

The G20 trade ministers will remain in Milwaukee until Thursday, October 1, 2026, with the U.S. set to host the G20 Summit in Miami this December.