Tridonex Chooses Independent Union in Mexico
After anxiety among some Democrats in the House that the union election at an auto parts factory in Matamoros, Mexico, would not be fair, the workers at Tridonex chose the Sindicato Nacional Independiente de Trabajadores de Industrias y Servicios, replacing a captive union that had represented the workers. The AFL-CIO had asked that the election be subject to a rapid response under USMCA, and the AFL-CIO said, "we will continue to support the union’s fight to negotiate a fair contract with the company. At the same time, we call on Mexican authorities to investigate disturbing allegations of bribery by the incumbent protection union in an effort to steal the election."
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House Appropriations Committee Chair Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., who served on the NAFTA working group in the House that pushed for the rapid response mechanism in the trade agreement rewrite, said both the General Motors truck plant vote in Silao (see 2202030067) and this vote were possible because of rapid response complaints. "Following closely behind the successful unionization vote by workers at General Motors in Silao, Mexico, this victory is a sign that corrupt unions used to protect corporate interests at the expense of workers’ rights can be a thing of the past," DeLauro said in a statement. "We will continue to monitor USMCA implementation and work to raise living standards for workers, their families, and their communities.”
U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai said, "People on both sides of the border win when workers can choose their union representation in a free and fair manner -- and without delay. We will continue to work diligently to advance labor rights as a core part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s worker-centered trade policy.”