USW Calls on Mexican Authorities to Ensure Fair Vote at Yokohama Tire

Contact: Ben Davis, [email protected]  

PITTSBURGH – The United Steelworkers (USW) released the following statement today from International President Roxanne Brown regarding the upcoming union vote at the Yokohama Tire plant in Saltillo, Mexico.

“The USW calls on the government of Mexico to ensure a free and fair election on Sep. 24 at the Yokohama Tire plant in Saltillo, Mexico, to determine the administration of the Collective Agreement for the Rubber Industry (Contrato Ley).

“Our union is alarmed by recent reports of threats and violence directed against the Mexican Workers Union League, an independent union that is challenging the ‘Miguel Trujillo López’ union of the CTM. On Aug. 28, the league filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Labor under the Rapid Response Labor Mechanism of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade agreement (USMCA). The complaint alleged multiple violations, including threats and dismissals of league supporters and manipulation of the voter list.

“On Sept. 8, representatives of the league who were conducting legal informational meetings in the plant were harassed and threatened by a large group of individuals who arrived at the plant in three buses.

“The failure of Yokohama Tire and Mexican authorities to protect workers who are exercising their rights under Mexican law and the USMCA may encourage further violence and undermine freedom of association. The USW urges the company and the Mexican government to act immediately to ensure a fair and peaceful election process.”

The USW represents 850,000 workers employed in metals, mining, pulp and paper, rubber, chemicals, glass, auto supply and the energy-producing industries, along with a growing number of people in tech, higher education, public sector and service occupations.

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