The U.S. has asked Mexico to review the treatment of workers at a Goodyear facility in San Luis Potosí after workers rejected a collective bargaining agreement and complained that their rights to organize weren't being recognized.
The request marks the eighth use of the Rapid Response Labor Mechanism (RRM) under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), as U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai reaffirmed the commitment to support Mexican workers in improving their work conditions.
“Once again, the use of the Rapid Response Labor Mechanism underscores our commitment to safeguarding workers’ rights and enforcing the USMCA,” Tai said in a release from her office. “We remain committed to partnering with the Government of Mexico to support workers as they pursue better workplace conditions.”
Thea Lee, deputy undersecretary for international affairs at the Department of Labor, said the workers at the Goodyear facility rejected the collective bargaining agreement and urged the company to treat them fairly by adhering to the sectoral agreement. Lee also expressed confidence in addressing the issue collaboratively and ensuring workers receive their entitled benefits.
"We now look to Goodyear to treat their workers fairly and apply the sectoral agreement,” Lee said. “The Mexican government has indicated its support for full implementation of the labor reform. Working together, we can address the issues in this case and make sure workers receive the benefits to which they are entitled by law.”
In response to the request, Tai directed the suspension of liquidation for unliquidated goods from the Goodyear SLP facility, the release stated.
The Interagency Labor Committee for Monitoring and Enforcement (ILC), received a claim from the union that Goodyear had signed a separate agreement with inferior benefits. The initial vote was canceled due to irregularities, but a subsequent vote rejected the separate agreement, the release stated. The ILC determined credible evidence of rights denial and submitted the request to Mexico, which now has 10 days to agree and 45 to complete the review, Tai's office said.
