Mexico union wins after US labor complaint, but abuses go on

By MARK STEVENSON
Associated Press

MEXICO CITY (AP) — An independent union won the right to bargain at a U.S. auto parts manufacturer in central Mexico after U.S. authorities trotted out a special weapon against the use of pro-company unions in Mexico that have long kept wages low. But abuses continued, after Mexican authorities revealed that a pro-company union stole a ballot box in a contract vote at another plant. The independent “Transformation Union” won a secret-ballot vote by workers to represent them at the Unique Fabricating de Mexico plant in the central state of Querétaro earlier this month. The U.S. Trade Representative’s Office had temporarily suspended the company’s tariff benefits under the U.S. Mexico-Canada free trade agreement until the issue was resolved.