The United States and Mexico reached an agreement that will guarantee the rights of a majority union at the VU Manufacturas auto parts facility in Piedras Negras, Coahuila, Mexico.
The agreement provides a course of remediation addressing a second petition filed under the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement’s Rapid Response Labor Mechanism at the auto parts facility, according to a March 31 news release. The Liga Sindical Obrera Mexicana, a Mexican union, and the Comité Fronterizo de Obreras, a Mexican labor rights organization, filed the petition that led to the agreement Dec. 29, 2022.
“The Biden-Harris administration remains steadfast in addressing denials of labor rights under the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement and to achieving sustainable freedom of association and collective bargaining rights across Mexico,” Deputy Undersecretary for International Labor Affairs Thea Lee said in the release. “We commend the government of Mexico for committing to take action to remedy a denial of workers’ rights at VU, including taking the important step of initiating sanctions proceedings to deter future violations. This will send a strong message beyond this facility.”
The allegations claimed VU illegally discriminated against an elected representative union “by favoring another union that also seeks to represent workers at the facility,” the release said.
According to the release, the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement’s Rapid Response Labor Mechanism allows the U.S. to take enforcement action based on the labor situation at a factory in Mexico if it doesn’t comply with domestic freedom of association and collective bargaining laws.
Mexico has agreed to provide in-person trainings to “workers, supervisors and human resources personnel at the facility on the rights of unions during collective bargaining negotiations and the exercise of the union’s right to strike,” the release said.
"The government will also conduct appropriate remediation to hold VU responsible for violating workers’ freedom of association and collective bargaining rights," the release said.
