[CTC] Jailed Mexican Labor Activist’s Immediate Release Demanded by Major U.S. Unions, Faith and Civil Society Groups

[Arthur Stamoulis]

Jailed Mexican Labor Activist’s Immediate Release Demanded by Major U.S. Unions, Faith and Civil Society Groups in Letter Delivered Today to Human Right Commission 
 
June 8 Arrest and Detainment of Mexican Labor Lawyer Susana Prieto Threatens to Overshadow Planned July 1 Start Date for New NAFTA
 
WASHINGTON, D.C. –  A group of powerful U.S. organizations demanded the immediate release of imprisoned Mexican labor lawyer <https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trade-mexico-labor/us-unions-urge-mexico-to-defend-workers-rights-after-labor-advocates-arrest-idUSKBN23N3JW> Susana Prieto Terrazas, who was arrested <https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jun/10/top-mexican-labour-lawyer-arrested-us-owned-factories> on June 8 on trumped-up charges for “mutiny, threats and coercion.” Prieto’s daughter delivered a letter <https://www.citizen.org/wp-content/uploads/Susan-Prieto-Letter.pdf> from the groups to the Mexican National Human Rights Commission today.
 
Prieto, an advocate for labor rights <https://www.elpasotimes.com/story/news/2020/06/20/susana-prieto-terrazas-mexico-border-labor-lawyer-arrest-demands-release/3231058001/> of workers in maquiladora factories near the Mexico-U.S. border, has defended workers who are protesting for improved safety measures against COVID-19 in reopened plants. Dozens of maquiladora workers have died after being exposed to the coronavirus. She recently sought to register a new independent union to replace a company-connected “protection” union. This is a core protection guaranteed by the revised North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and Mexico’s 2019 revised national labor law. 
 
The arrest of Prieto and punitive bail denials that threaten her life given the high incidence of COVID-19 in collective settings such as jails, spotlights the ongoing labor rights crisis in Mexico. Growing focus on Prieto’s detention is overshadowing the July 1 start date of the revised NAFTA.
 
Members of Congress raised concerns about Prieto’s imprisonment to USTR Robert Lighthizer during a congressional hearing on June 17. Lighthizer said he was closely monitoring the case, “take[s] this very seriously,” found it to be a “bad indicator” of compliance with the new labor standards, hoped “[Mexico] can work it out themselves” but that “we’ll take action if appropriate.”
 
As well as facility-specific rapid response labor enforcement cases, the revised NAFTA allows NAFTA governments to charge each other with violations of their obligations. The dispute resolution process in the pact could result in Mexican imports to the United States facing tariffs if a NAFTA tribunal determines Mexico is not meeting its labor rights obligations.

The letter, signed by the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), Citizens Trade Campaign, Communications Workers of America, International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Maryknoll Office of Global Concerns,  NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice, Our Revolution, Presente.org, Public Citizen, Service Employees Union International, United Auto Workers, United Brotherhood of Carpenters, United Methodist Church Board of Church and Society and the United Steelworkers, is available here <https://www.citizen.org/wp-content/uploads/Susan-Prieto-Letter.pdf> in English and Spanish.
 

Arthur Stamoulis
Citizens Trade Campaign
(202) 494-8826




-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.citizenstrade.org/pipermail/ctcfield-citizenstrade.org/attachments/20200626/bb5cbd18/attachment.html>