Notoriously corrupt unions keep getting the boot in Mexico. We recently told you about how GM plant workers ousted the Confederation of Mexican Workers (CTM) after 25 years of intimidation tactics; and workers at Mexico’s Tridonex auto plant also pushed out the CTM while inserting an independent union in its place. This week, workers at Mexico’s Panasonic Automotive Systems factory freed themselves from the CTM, also in favor of an independent union.
These developments follow the Trump-signed U.S.-Mexico-Canada Trade Agreement (USMCA) that reduces tariffs and promotes higher company profits. However, the USMCA doesn’t do anything to ease supply chain woes that are exacerbated by trucking problems involving the U.S-Mexico border. As it stands, existing federal inspection policies contribute to border delays, and unions including the Teamsters (looking out for their own competitive interests) pushed Texas Governor Greg Abbott to keep a rule for additional state inspections in place. Abbott recently reversed that rule, so perhaps a further tweaking of the USMCA could ease supply chain strains, too.
Up in the Canadian western province of British Columbia, a whole different story sees the legislature floating a bill of union-friendly regulations including a big one: union certification would be based solely upon 55% signing of union cards without a vote taking place at all. It’s a stunning rebuke of democracy, although notably, a vote would still be required to decertify unions, so the bill’s entire agenda couldn’t be more obvious.
