Detroit – UAW President Ray Curry called on Mexican labor authorities and General Motors Friday to take all necessary steps to ensure that the upcoming union election at GM’s Silao plant in Mexico is democratic, transparent, and free from intimidation. Over 7,000 workers at the plant will have an opportunity to vote their union representation on February 1 and 2.
“The UAW has a long history standing in solidarity with workers seeking independent union representation in the United States and around the world,” said Curry. “This solidarity extends to our brothers and sisters in Mexico and the workers of General Motors Silao in their struggle to have a democratic and transparent union election.”
Curry urged that the U.S. and Mexican governments and GM work together to ensure workers are allowed to exercise their right to vote freely without fear of reprisal in the upcoming election. This includes the following:
- Provide all petitioning unions a reliable voter list immediately.
- Immediately send labor inspectors to the GM Silao facility. These inspectors should conduct investigations and random interviews with workers to verify the work environment is free from coercion and intimidation, and that the vote will be free, secret, and personal.
- Allow for the presence of international and domestic observers to ensure no threats or intimidation occurs.
- Finally, the Mexican government and General Motors must take all necessary steps to ensure that violence inside the plant, and in the surrounding communities, does not influence the outcome of the vote.
“The right to join a union and collectively bargain is a fundamental human right and a founding principle of the UAW,” Curry said.
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