Workers at Mexico border auto parts plant oust powerful union, eying ripple effect – Reuters Canada
Employees gather outside the Tridonex auto-parts plant, owned by Philadelphia-based Cardone Industries, as they hold a vote to elect a new union, in Matamoros, Mexico February 28, 2022. REUTERS/Alejandro Hernandez
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MEXICO CITY, March 1 (Reuters) – An overwhelming vote by workers at a northern Mexican factory to elect an independent union, defeating an entrenched labor group, could presage more such showdowns amid growing U.S. pressure to strengthen worker rights.
Independent union SNITIS won nearly 87% of the vote at the Tridonex auto parts plant in the border city of Matamoros late on Monday, clobbering powerful union CTM, which also recently lost an election at General Motors Co (GM.N) in the central city of Silao. read more
Tridonex came under U.S. scrutiny last year after U.S. unions pushed for a labor complaint under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) trade deal, saying workers had been blocked from choosing their union.
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CTM’s latest defeat could encourage workers at other plants in industrial Matamoros to seek new representation, say workers and experts, in line with a recent Mexican labor reform meant to give workers a stronger voice, a tenet of the USMCA.
Many workers at Tridonex, owned by Philadelphia-based Cardone, had accused CTM, one of Mexico’s biggest labor groups, of failing to demand higher wages. read more
“Tridonex is going to push forward the entire Matamoros working class,” said Rosario Moreno, SNITIS …….