Unions Attacked in Mexico

There has been a frightening series of events unfolding in Mexico. Unions have come under attack over the last several months. While this has been a common practice for corporations throughout Mexico this time the perpetrator is the Mexican government.

Many of us remember the first big blow against unions in the United States; Ronald Reagan firing more than 11,000 union air traffic controllers. It seems that Mexico is trying to deal organized labor its death blow south of the border. The Mexican government has pushed an attack against trade unionists all over the country over the last few years:

In October 2009 the president of Mexico, Felipe Calderon, ordered a public utility company closed and the workers fired. Calderon did not seek the approval of congress. This lockout affects over 44,000 union workers from one of the largest and most militant unions in the country.

In July 2007 miners went on strike after a 2006 explosion that buried 65 miners alive. In mid 2007 independent industrial safety experts found extreme health violations to add to the Mexican labor department’s list of 72 serious safety hazards at the site. A Mexican court ruled recently in favor of the company terminating the union contract. Many fear bloodshed as the Mexican government will try to take the mine back by force.

In April of 2007 a labor organizer was found beaten to death in his office. The Mexican government has dragged its feet during the murder investigation and as one union official put it:

“We think Santiago’s murder was a message to the union to back down, But we have no intention of going away.”

Many American labor leaders are now attempting to make their voices heard. AFL-CIO president Richard Trumka urged the Obama administration to:

“take immediate and decisive steps to hold the Mexican government accountable for its systematic violations of fundamental worker rights and its effort to dismantle independent unions.”

The Mexican electrical workers union has been touring California unions to inform American unions of their ordeal and to ask for solidarity. You can read more about the tour and help the union by writing a letter, here is more information.