U.S., Mexico, Canada Telecom Workers Unions Expand Partnership

Telecom union leaders meet in Mexico City.

The leaders of CWA, STRM — the independent Mexican Telephone Workers Union — and the Canadian Communications, Energy and Paperworkers (CEP) met in Mexico City to continue their tri-national work supporting workers' rights.

President Larry Cohen, CWA; Secretary General Francisco Hernandez Juarez, STRM; and President Dave Coles, CEP, set new plans for the tri-national group, especially the continued support for bargaining rights for workers at Atento, T-Mobile and America Movil.

New joint programs for the tri-national group include education and actions opposed to the Trans Pacific Partnership trade deal (TPP), joint actions on movement building, support for immigrant rights, and continued work on joint organizing.

Global union solidarity and international cooperation are the only ways workers can stand up against global capitalism, the unions said.

As part of March 8 International Women's Day, the three unions also called for action to ensure that the rights of women workers to collective bargaining and freedom from workplace harassment and intimidation are secured, along with fair policies on maternity leave and work-family balance.