CWA Applauds Biden Administration Action to Protect Labor Rights for Call Center Workers

In historic first, U.S. Trade Representative invokes USMCA in defense of call center workers

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the Communications Workers of America released the following statement in response to United States Trade Representative Katherine Tai’s announcement that the United States has asked Mexico to review whether call center workers at the Atento Servicios, S.A. de C.V. facilities in the city of Pachuca, state of Hidalgo, are being denied the right to freedom of association and collective bargaining. Atento is a multinational corporation offering outsourced customer support services to companies in financial, telecommunications, healthcare, and other sectors.

CWA President Claude Cummings Jr. issued the following statement:

U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai’s decision to invoke the USMCA Rapid Response Mechanism in defense of the workers in Hidalgo is an historic first for call center workers. Call center workers have long worked in an industry that knows no international borders. Ambassador Tai’s action protects workers in both the United States and Mexico by strengthening rights across the industry and combating the longstanding race to the bottom. Our members and our union stand in solidarity with the workers of Atento Servicios, S.A. de C.V. in their fight for union recognition and the just pay and benefits that they have earned and deserve.

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About CWA: The Communications Workers of America represents working people in telecommunications, customer service, media, airlines, health care, public service and education, manufacturing, tech, and other fields.

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