Elizabeth Boomer of the AFL-CIO International Affairs Department sends us this.

PKC, a Finnish auto parts corporation with production facilities located in more than 10 countries in Asia, South America, Europe and North America, recently acquired a subsidiary named Arneses y Accesorios de Mexico. The workers in the plants want the National Miners’ and Metalworkers Union (Los Mineros) to represent them, but PKC North America President and CEO Frank Sovis informed the workers that “to protect itself and jobs, the company has decided to sign a collective agreement with the Mexican Confederation of Workers” (CTM).

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These types of “protection contracts” are common in Mexico, where only 1 percent of workers are represented by independent unions. Labor laws in Mexico, and the way they are applied by the government and employers, result in collective agreements between an employer-dominated “protection” union and an employer with no participation from the workers they cover. In many cases, the workers have no knowledge of being represented by any union and when they have tried to request a copy of their contract, they often have been fired.

The workers at Arneses y Accesorios de Mexico have worked tirelessly with the support of the Comité Fronterizo de Obreras (CFO), an independent worker rights center, to form a local chapter of Los Mineros and gain a democratic voice in their workplace. The United Steelworkers (USW)—a longtime partner of both Mineros and CFO—the UAW, the AFL-CIO and the International Metalworkers Federation are all supporting their efforts, as are the unions representing PKC in Finland, the company’s European Works Council and unions in Brazil, including the CUT Metalworkers and Conlutas.

Sovis’ attempt at reassurance that “the company has been able to work without a union for many years because it has been a company with open doors, ready to listen to workers and resolve their concerns and problems,” does not reassure the workers that their rights will be respected without a real union.