AP Journalists in Mexico Gain Strong Representation

With the assistance of CWA's News Media Guild and the AFL-CIO Solidarity Center, journalists at the Associated Press in Mexico won union recognition and bargaining rights with STRM, Mexico's strongest and most democratic telecom union.

The workers' recognition by the Mexico's Labor Secretariat is a big victory for the democratic workers' movement. The more than 100 journalists will be represented by STRM, the National Union of Telephone Workers which represents more than 50,000 telecom workers in Mexico. STRM and CWA have worked together on workers' rights, trade, organizing and other issues for many years.  

Workers in Mexico, and in nearly every other industrialized country in Latin America and around the world, are many steps ahead of U.S. workers who don't have the right to majority signup for union recognition. STRM had strong majority support from the workers but Mexican labor laws permit union recognition and bargaining rights with even less than majority support.

The journalists' victory is an historic step that will enable STRM to keep fighting for real workers' rights. Some workers in Mexico are represented by employer-controlled unions which do little to provide a real voice or strong contracts.

During the workers' campaign, a shop steward with the News Media Guild-CWA worked with the journalists to help them build support for their union. STRM has been a big part of the UNI campaign of global unions showing support for U.S. workers, delivering a letter to the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City calling for passage of the Employee Free Choice Act.