The government of Mexico has until the end of the month to decide if it will look into allegations that workers at an auto-parts manufacturing plant were denied their rights, the U.S. Department of Labor announced recently.
The U.S. government made the request upon the recommendation of the Interagency Labor Committee (ILC) for Monitoring and Enforcement of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), the DOL announced July 21. The ICL made the recommendation based on a USMCA Rapid Response Labor Mechanism (RRLM) petition filed the same day by a worker advocacy group and a labor union, lodging the complaint against VU Manufacturing of Piedras Negras, Coahuila, Mexico.
"The petition, filed by Liga Sindical Obrera Mexicana and the Comité Fronterizo de Obreras," the DOL states in the report, "alleges VU Manufacturing interfered with the workers’ ability to choose their union, a violation of their rights to associate and collectively bargain."
ILC, which is co-chaired by the DOL and the office of the U.S. Trade Representative, according to the report, "found sufficient and credible evidence that workers' rights were denied" at the plant.
"The RRLM allows the U.S. to take enforcement action based on the labor situation at an individual factory in Mexico, if that facility fails to comply with domestic freedom of association and collective bargaining laws," the DOL states in the report, noting that the Piedras Negras petition is the fifth request filed under the RRLM.
“In keeping with the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, the U.S. Department of Labor seeks to level the playing field for workers and businesses on both sides of the border and to promote growth and stability in the region,” Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh said in the report. “We recognize the ongoing efforts of the Mexican government to work with us to resolve concerns and to ensure workers may choose their union freely and collectively bargain.”
VU Manufacturing, an automotive soft-trim supplier based in Troy, Mich., has facilities in the U.S. and Mexico.
The Mexican government has 45 days to investigate the claims and present its findings if it decides to conduct an investigation.
