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Defend Daewoo Maquiladora Workers in Mexicali, MexicoInformation from the Open World Conference at the S.F.
Labor Council Five workers at the Daewoo Orion de Mexico (DOMEX) maquiladora plant were fired from their jobs last September after they tried to form an independent union to improve their wages and working conditions. The five fired workers who took the lead in organizing a genuine union at Daewoo are Juan Carlos Espinoza Bravo (interim general secretary), Victor Ortega (interim organizing director), Rita Soltero (interim recording secretary), and Rogelio Torres and Alan Lechuga Moreno of the interim executive board. The Daewoo maquiladora factory produces TV screens for the U.S. market. It is owned by a Korean multinational corporation. It employs more than 800 workers. For the past four years, workers have received no wage increases, even though management got numerous raises. The rate of job injuries has increased dramatically during this period due to speed-up. Last October, about 40 of these workers formed a union. They submitted their union registration application to the National Reconciliation Board. Soon after, Daewoo management began to harass the workers who had signed onto the union, taking away bonus points for punctuality, productivity, attendance and loyalty -- which was tantamount to a wage cut of 200 pesos per month, a considerable sum considering their incredibly low wages. When some of the workers protested this abuse, they were fired. Meanwhile the Reconciliation Board has ignored the Daewoo workers' petition to form a union, even though formally they must announce their decision to certify a new union 60 days after the application is filed. The Daewoo workers, together with workers in other maquiladora plants in the Mexicali region, have launched a new organization -- the Movement for Freedom and Labor Rights for Workers in the Maquiladora Industry (MOLDELTIM) -- and are calling on the trade union movement in the United States and across the Americas to support their struggle for independent unions and labor rights. They insist that workers in the maquiladoras must be granted at least the same labor rights as all workers throughout Mexico. On Thursday, March 11, the Reconciliation Board heard Juan Carlos Espinoza Bravo's claim that he was unjustly fired. Due to the tremendous support and presence of other workers, and the messages of solidarity from around the world, the Board declared the firing a misunderstanding. They said Espinoza could return to work the next day, which he did, amidst applause of support. Each of the other fired workers is to be received by the Reconciliation Board over the next month. Write the CEO of Daewoo to insist that the remaining workers, Victor Ortega, Rita Soltero, Rogelio Torres, and Alan Lechuga Moreno, also be allowed to return to work. The five unjustly fired workers also seek back pay, as they have now been out of work for seven months, and were blacklisted, preventing them from finding work in other maquiladoras. Though their reinstatement at the factory signals a significant victory, the workers are still struggling to form a union. Write to the Governor of Baja California to urge him to support their efforts and require the company to recognize their union. Send your letters to: C. Eugenio Elorduy Myung Soo Choi, Please send copies to Humberto Brizuela at The next step in this struggle is an exciting conference to be held in Mexicali, bringing together maquila workers from the region, and demonstrating support for the Daewoo workers' organizing. The Open World Conference Continuations Committee, in coordination with the MOLDETIM organizers, is calling on labor officials, unionists and activists in the United States, Mexico and Canada to participate in a one-day conference in Mexicali on Saturday, April 24, to listen to the testimonies of the fired Daewoo workers and other workers in the maquiladora industry, and to promote a wider solidarity campaign on their behalf. If you are interested in participating in this conference, contact the Open World Conference at ilcinfo@earthlink.net Thanks, in advance, for your support, Eddie Rosario and Alan Benjamin, |
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