Julie Su Acting United States Secretary of Labor | Official Website
The U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement’s Interagency Labor Committee for Monitoring and Enforcement has requested that the government of Mexico conduct a review based on its finding of a denial of workers’ rights at the Pirelli Neumáticos rubber tire manufacturing facility in Silao, Guanajuato.
This request follows a petition filed on July 22, 2024, by the Liga Sindical Obrera Mexicana and the International Lawyers Assisting Workers Network. The petition alleges that workers' rights to freedom of association and collective bargaining are being denied at Pirelli.
According to the petition, the company is unlawfully applying a facility-specific collective bargaining agreement negotiated with the incumbent Miguel Trujillo union—an affiliate of the Confederación de Trabajadores de Mexico—instead of an industry-wide contract covering the rubber industry. It further claims that benefits received by workers under this agreement are below minimum protections provided under contract law.
“The request for review in this case provides an opportunity under the Rapid Response Labor Mechanism for Pirelli workers to benefit from the application of the rubber sector-wide agreement, consistent with Mexican labor law,” said Deputy Undersecretary for International Affairs Thea Lee. “We look forward to continuing to work with the government of Mexico to secure workers their fair compensation under the law.”
“As the second Rapid Response Mechanism matter dealing with Mexico’s sector-wide agreement for the rubber industry, this case demonstrates that the tool is raising awareness among workers in the sector about their labor rights and providing a pathway for their concerns to be addressed,” said Ambassador Katherine Tai. “We look forward to continuing our collaboration with the Government of Mexico to protect workers’ rights at the facility.”
The government of Mexico has 10 days to decide whether it will conduct a review and 45 days to investigate these claims and present its findings.
Pirelli, a multinational company based in Italy, employs approximately 3,250 union workers who produce automotive tires at its plant in Silao. These tires are exported to automakers in the U.S. and Canada, including Audi, BMW, and Tesla.
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