CWA Joins Mexico, Canada to Discuss Workers' Shared Concerns

CWA Executive Vice President Annie Hill and CWAers joined a conference in Mexico on issues affecting U.S., Canadian and Mexican workers and unions. Other participants included, at far left, Francisco Hernández Juárez, president of STRM and at far right, Ben Davis, a TNG-CWA member and Mexico Program Director for the AFL-CIO Solidarity Center.

At a conference in Mexico City last week, CWA Executive Vice President Annie Hill and two CWA members discussed job security, the war on bargaining rights and how to improve conditions for workers in Mexico, Canada and the United States.

"There's anti-worker and anti-union behavior being played out everywhere," Hill said. "It may be a little less in Canada, but they're having problems, too. We all recognize that we need a stronger labor movement across our countries. The conference was a step toward creating a coalition and more labor unity on global basis."

The conference was sponsored by CWA, the independent Union of Telephone Workers of the Mexican Republic (STRM) and the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union of Canada. Mexican Labor Party leaders, the Solidarity Center and the AFL-CIO also were involved.

As part of a panel, CWA Local 3010 President Rafael Castro-Torres talked about trying to organize Puerto Rican workers at Atento, a subsidiary of the Spanish company Telefonica where union supporters have been fired. Local 6229 Vice President Jose Cantu talked about the struggle to organize at T-Mobile and how differently the company's European and American workers are treated.

Hill talked about the demise of bargaining and organizing rights in the United States and noted that among the world's democracies, only Colombia has a lower rate of collective bargaining.

But she said recent developments in newer democracies, including South Africa, Brazil, Argentina and Taiwan, are hopeful signs. "Governments in these countries have strengthened workers' bargaining rights, while unions have linked their struggles to democratic movements for political reform and social justice. Much can be learned from their experience," Hill said.