House Trade Subcommittee Ranking Member Directs Administration's Attention to Mexican Union Election

The top-ranking Democrat in trade in the House of Representatives, and a man who once chaired the Ways and Means trade subcommittee, wrote to the U.S. trade representative and the U.S. labor secretary, asking them to push Mexican labor authorities to ensure that a labor election Nov. 29 is free and fair. There are 2,741 workers in Mexico at an Indian-held conglomerate who have the opportunity to choose a new union. The last time they voted, in 2012, worker chose to stay with an employer-sponsored union. The firm makes wire harnesses for U.S. automakers, the congressmen said. "This case is emblematic of Mexico's longstanding failure to afford workers the democratic right to choose their representatives," Rep. Bill Pascrell, D-N.J., and Rep. Sandy Levin, D-Mich., wrote Nov. 28. "We ask that you work with the Mexican labor authorities to underscore the importance of this particular election and highlight the critical importance of effectively enforcing workers’ rights to the success of a renegotiated NAFTA."