Workers on Dole Flower Plantations Win Historic Victories in ...

Major Maquila Victory in the Dominican Republic
In the most important maquiladora
worker victory in Latin America in several
years, workers at a Hanesbrand
factory in the Dominican Republic
won a collective bargaining agreement
in mid-August. But in Guatemala the
last maquiladora with a union contract,
Choishin, closed in mid-July and in
Mexico a violent group took unlawful
control of the union at Mexmode,
formerly Kuk Dong, site of one of the
most important victories of the student
anti-sweatshop movement.
Last Unionized Maquila in
Guatemala Closing
The mid-July closing of Choishin
leaves Guatemala without a single
unionized maquiladora with a contract,
following the closing of its sister plant,
Cimatextile, in September 2007. The
Choishin union is demanding that the
plant re-open, and has secured a court
ruling declaring the closing illegal.
Meanwhile, the company is offering
workers as little as 29% of what they are
legally entitled to for severance.
<strong>Workers</strong> at both plants won collective
bargaining agreements in 2003 after
a two-year struggle marred by violent
attacks on union members. Supporting
4
the two unions, which are affiliated to
FESTRAS, was a key part of USLEAP’s
agenda in the early years of this decade.
At five years, the Choishin union has
had a contract longer than any maquila
union in Guatemala.
While owner Choi & Shin says it
has shifted its work to a unionized facility
in Nicaragua, the Sitrachoi union
says it has evidence that Choi & Shin is
starting up a new, non-union factory in
Guatemala, which would prompt an aggressive
response from the international
community if confirmed.
Liz Claiborne, a long-time client of
Choi & Shin, has over the years been
extensively engaged in seeking to address
union concerns, first in responding
to anti-union violence back in 2001
and, more recently, to the company’s
complaints about relatively high labor
costs, agreeing last year to pay somewhat
more for its work in order to maintain
some production in Guatemala instead
of shifting it all to Nicaragua.
USLEAP has been in frequent communication
with Liz Claiborne about
the closing, as well as with U.S and
Guatemalan government officials. Other
key customers Macy’s and Ralph Polo
Lauren have yet to respond to requests
Policy Brief Shows “Systematic Deficiencies”
In Mexican Labor Law
A new report from the AFL-CIO’s
Solidarity Center, “<strong>Workers</strong>’ Freedom of
Association Under Attack in Mexico,”
raises serious concerns about respect for
the rights of Mexico’s workers.
The August 2008 document highlights
a number of issues, including government
control of independent unions,
misuse or manipulation of Mexican labor
law, and employer-dominated elections.
In part as a result of these violations, the
report argues, wages in Mexico have
remained extremely low, and the wage
gap between workers in the U.S. and
those in Mexico is widening.
“The repression of independent
unions is a key component of Mexico’s
fundamental economic policy: to promote
exports through a combination of
low wages and macroeconomic stability,”
says the report.
The report highlights cases previously
reported in the USLEAP newsletter,
including the struggles at the
Vaqueros Navarra jeans factory and the
Mexmode factory (see above story), both
in the state of Puebla.
In both cases, the local government
attempted to undermine the activities of
an independent union. In the case of Vaqueros
Navarra, the independent union
prevailed until the jeans factory was
U.S. LABOR EDUCATION IN THE AMERICAS PROJECT
for intervention. Unless it is reversed,
the closure will mark a sad chapter in the
rights of maquila worker organizing in
Guatemala. See the USLEAP website
or contact the office for the latest suggested
action.
Mexico Union Taken Over by
Violent Group
The union at Mexmode, formerly
known as Kuk Dong, has been taken
over by a group known for its history
of violence. On June 20, local labor officials
convened an illegal assembly of
the union in the midst of a campaign of
intimidation against the elected leadership
by the Antorcha Campesina (Peasant
Torch) organization, leading to the
election of their own slate. On July 7,
the Worker Rights Consortium (WRC)
released a report documenting acts of
physical violence against the Sitemex
union and unlawful governmental interference
in the internal affairs of the
union. The report found no wrong-doing
by Mexmode management and noted
that Nike had taken positive steps in
response to the situation.
<strong>Workers</strong> at Mexmode, then known
as Kuk Dong, won a collective bargain-
ing agreement in 2002 after intervention
continued on page 5
closed suddenly in December 2007.
Such repressive labor policies
ultimately contribute to the massive
migration from Mexico, the report argues,
as 14% of all Mexican workers
are currently working in the U.S. While
the low wages are drawing high-paying
jobs away from the U.S., they are also
driving Mexican workers north, a situation
in which workers on both sides of
the border lose.
The full report is available on the
Solidarity Center website, www.solidaritycenter.org.
Fall 2008