<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class="">To clarify, this is a loss for the corrupt protection union — creating potential for Mexico’s independent union movement<div class=""><br class=""><div class="">
Arthur Stamoulis<br class="">Citizens Trade Campaign<br class="">(202) 494-8826<br class=""><br class=""><br class=""><br class="">
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<div><br class=""><blockquote type="cite" class=""><div class="">On Aug 19, 2021, at 10:02 AM, Arthur Stamoulis <<a href="mailto:arthur@citizenstrade.org" class="">arthur@citizenstrade.org</a>> wrote:</div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"><div class=""><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=us-ascii" class=""><div style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div class=""><a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/gm-workers-mexico-vote-scrap-union-contract-labor-ministry-2021-08-19/" class="">https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/gm-workers-mexico-vote-scrap-union-contract-labor-ministry-2021-08-19/</a></div><div class=""><br class=""></div><h1 class="Text__heading_2___sUlNJP Text__text___3eVx1j Text__dark-grey___AS2I_p Text__medium___1ocDap Heading__base___1dDlXY Heading__heading_2___3f_bIW" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.14; font-size: 40px; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; font-family: knowledge-medium, Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: 500; color: rgb(64, 64, 64);">GM workers in Mexico defeat union in first test of US trade deal</h1><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><p data-testid="paragraph-0" class="Body__base___25kqPt Text__dark-grey___AS2I_p Text__large___1i0u1F Text__text___3eVx1j Body__large_body___3g04wK Text__regular___Bh17t- ArticleBody__element___3UrnEs" style="margin: 0px 0px 2.22222vw; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.6; font-size: 18px; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; font-family: knowledge-regular, Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(64, 64, 64); max-width: 720px;">MEXICO CITY, Aug 19 (Reuters) - Workers at a General Motors pickup plant in the central Mexican city of Silao have voted to scrap their collective contract, opening the door for them to oust one of Mexico's largest labor organizations as their union in a historic move.</p><p data-testid="paragraph-1" class="Body__base___25kqPt Text__dark-grey___AS2I_p Text__large___1i0u1F Text__text___3eVx1j Body__large_body___3g04wK Text__regular___Bh17t- ArticleBody__element___3UrnEs" style="margin: 2.22222vw 0px; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.6; font-size: 18px; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; font-family: knowledge-regular, Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(64, 64, 64); max-width: 720px;">The vote marked the first test of labor rules under a new trade deal that replaced the 1994 North American Free Agreement (NAFTA), with a series of safeguards agreed by Mexico and the United States to ensure a fair vote.</p><p data-testid="paragraph-2" class="Body__base___25kqPt Text__dark-grey___AS2I_p Text__large___1i0u1F Text__text___3eVx1j Body__large_body___3g04wK Text__regular___Bh17t- ArticleBody__element___3UrnEs" style="margin: 2.22222vw 0px; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.6; font-size: 18px; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; font-family: knowledge-regular, Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(64, 64, 64); max-width: 720px;">An initial vote in April was suspended after Mexico's labor ministry found irregularities in the union-led process, prompting the United States to lodge the first complaint under the labor enforcement mechanism of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA).</p><p data-testid="paragraph-3" class="Body__base___25kqPt Text__dark-grey___AS2I_p Text__large___1i0u1F Text__text___3eVx1j Body__large_body___3g04wK Text__regular___Bh17t- ArticleBody__element___3UrnEs" style="margin: 2.22222vw 0px; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.6; font-size: 18px; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; font-family: knowledge-regular, Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(64, 64, 64); max-width: 720px;">Of 5,876 GM employees who cast ballots in the Tuesday-Wednesday vote, 3,214 workers rejected the bargaining agreement while 2,623 workers voted to keep it, the labor ministry said in a statement.</p></div><div class=""><p data-testid="paragraph-4" class="Body__base___25kqPt Text__dark-grey___AS2I_p Text__large___1i0u1F Text__text___3eVx1j Body__large_body___3g04wK Text__regular___Bh17t- ArticleBody__element___3UrnEs" style="margin: 2.22222vw 0px; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.6; font-size: 18px; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; font-family: knowledge-regular, Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(64, 64, 64); max-width: 720px;">Many workers who campaigned for the "no" vote said their current union <a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/sustainable-business/gm-workers-historic-vote-mexico-tests-new-trade-deal-2021-08-17" target="_blank" class="Text__text___3eVx1j Text__dark-grey___AS2I_p Text__medium___1ocDap Text__large___1i0u1F Link__underline_default___MkI7S8" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; line-height: 1; letter-spacing: 0px; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; font-family: knowledge-medium, Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(64, 64, 64);">did not fight hard enough</a> for better salaries at the plant that produces thousands of profitable pickup trucks a year. <a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/sustainable-business/gm-workers-historic-vote-mexico-tests-new-trade-deal-2021-08-17/" class="Text__text___3eVx1j Text__dark-grey___AS2I_p Text__medium___1ocDap Text__large___1i0u1F Link__underline_default___MkI7S8" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; line-height: 1; letter-spacing: 0px; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; font-family: knowledge-medium, Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(64, 64, 64);">read more </a></p><p data-testid="paragraph-5" class="Body__base___25kqPt Text__dark-grey___AS2I_p Text__large___1i0u1F Text__text___3eVx1j Body__large_body___3g04wK Text__regular___Bh17t- ArticleBody__element___3UrnEs" style="margin: 2.22222vw 0px; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.6; font-size: 18px; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; font-family: knowledge-regular, Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(64, 64, 64); max-width: 720px;">The ballot count was led by the plant's Miguel Trujillo Lopez union - part of the Confederation of Mexican Workers (CTM) - alongside observers from the Labor Ministry, Mexico's National Electoral Institute (INE) and the United Nations' International Labour Organization (ILO).</p><p data-testid="paragraph-6" class="Body__base___25kqPt Text__dark-grey___AS2I_p Text__large___1i0u1F Text__text___3eVx1j Body__large_body___3g04wK Text__regular___Bh17t- ArticleBody__element___3UrnEs" style="margin: 2.22222vw 0px; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.6; font-size: 18px; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; font-family: knowledge-regular, Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(64, 64, 64); max-width: 720px;">Neither the union nor GM immediately replied to requests for comment.</p><p data-testid="paragraph-7" class="Body__base___25kqPt Text__dark-grey___AS2I_p Text__large___1i0u1F Text__text___3eVx1j Body__large_body___3g04wK Text__regular___Bh17t- ArticleBody__element___3UrnEs" style="margin: 2.22222vw 0px; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.6; font-size: 18px; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; font-family: knowledge-regular, Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(64, 64, 64); max-width: 720px;">Such votes are required at unionized workplaces across Mexico under a labor reform that underpins USMCA labor rules and is geared at eliminating so-called sweetheart contracts between business-friendly unions and companies.</p></div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">
Arthur Stamoulis<br class="">Citizens Trade Campaign<br class="">(202) 494-8826<br class=""><br class=""><br class=""><br class="">
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