MEXICO CITY, Mexico: Workers at a Panasonic auto parts plant in northern Mexico voted this week to join an independent union, instead of one of the country’s largest labor organizations.
Late this week, Mexico’s federal labor center said Union SNITIS, formed by workers dissatisfied with traditional labor groups in the northern state of Tamaulipas, won 75 percent of the ballots in a two-day election, in which 2,150 workers were eligible to vote.
Its rival, SIAMARM, part of the 86-year-old Confederation of Mexican Workers (CTM), won 25 percent of the vote among workers at the factory, which produces car audio and display systems, mostly for the U.S. and Canada.
The result is the latest of recent votes against CTM, including at a General Motors plant in the central state of Guanajuato and at auto parts plant Tridonex in Tamaulipas, two sites facing U.S. scrutiny for potential worker rights abuses under the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) trade deal.
In what union leaders hoped would set off a ripple effect, in February SNITIS won the Tridonex election with nearly 87 percent of the vote.
In a social media video posted after the Panasonic vote results, SNITIS founder Susana Prieto said, “This has been overwhelming, like the result at Tridonex, and we hope it’s the same way at all factories that continue to join this new era of independent unionism.”
In a statement, Panasonic said it respected and supported its employees’ right to free association, adding that it is looking forward to working with SNITIS.
On social media ahead of the vote, SIAMARM head Alberto Lara said he would protect vulnerable workers, adding that his union would offer the best contract.
The latest in a series of disputes seeking to leverage the USMCA to improve workplace conditions in Mexico, last week SNITIS urged the U.S. government to investigate the Panasonic plant for alleged workers’ rights abuses.
