The United States appointed six panelists on Wednesday for the Rapid Response Labor Mechanism, a key tool for the application of the labor protections of the Treaty between Mexico, United States and Canada (USMCA).

The panelists are: Janice Bellace, Lance Compa, Peter Hurtgen, Ira Jaffe, Kevin Kolben, and Ed Potter.

The Rapid Response Labor Mechanism, a bilateral annex to the T-MEC between the United States and Mexico, is the first of its kind and allows the United States to take accelerated enforcement measures against individual factories in Mexico that do not comply with freedom of association national and collective bargaining laws.

The profiles of the American panelists:

Janice Bellace

She is Samuel A. Blank, professor emeritus of legal studies and business ethics at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Ms. Bellace’s research is in the area of ​​labor law and labor relations, with a focus on how international human rights concepts shape regulation and corporate behavior.

Lance Compa

He is a tenured professor at Cornell University College of Industrial and Labor Relations, where he focused on United States labor law and international labor rights. He has extensive experience in labor cases with Mexico and in international labor standards.

Peter Hurtgen

He is a partner working in employment law at Curley, Hurtgen & Johnsrud LLP. He has served as President of the National Labor Relations Board and Director of the Federal Service of Mediation and Conciliation.

Ira Jaffe

He has served as a full-time arbitrator and mediator, primarily listening to labor disputes. He serves on more than 60 permanent arbitration panels in the public and private sectors and was appointed by President Bush and President Obama to serve or chair four presidential emergency boards that address emergency disputes stemming from the Railroad Labor Act.

Kevin Kolben

He is an associate professor at Rutgers Business School and an expert in transnational labor regulation and labor governance in supply chains. He has written extensively on work in the international context.

Edward Potter

He is a member of the International Advisory Council at the Institute of Human and Business Rights. For more than two decades, he participated in the ILO Committee on the Application of Conventions and Recommendations, which holds countries accountable for their obligations derived from the ratification of ILO Conventions.