THE IMPACT OF THE NORTH-AMERICAN-FREE-TRADE-AGREEMENT ON PUBLIC-SECTOR COLLECTIVE-BARGAINING

The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) has been the focus of substantial controversy concerning its effects on employment in the pr ivate sector. This article analyzes the likely effects of NAFTA on the thus-far-neglected area of collective bargaining in the public sector . The available evidence suggests that NAFTA will have a depressing ef fect on wages and may cause an increase in bargaining impasses. The ev idence also suggests that the effects of NAFTA will be uneven across r egions of the country.