[PEN-L:5203] CTM HOLDS UNION CONGRESS DESPITE FORD WORKERS PROTESTS (fwd)

[D Shniad <shniad@xxxxxx>]

>
> 	      CTM HOLDS UNDEMOCRATIC UNION CONGRESS
> 	Report from the Ford Democratic Workers Movement
> 			 Ford-Cuautitlan
> 			  May 23, 1995
>
>      The CTM held its Congress on May 19 despite requests to
> postpone it until the Mexican Ford workers could be adequately
> informed and hold delegate elections. Protests came from unionized
> Ford workers in the Cuautitlan and Hermosillo plants and from
> unions in the United States and Canada. The Ford workers were only
> notified of the Congress two days before it was held.
>      Approximately 60 "delegates", 10 "independent unionists" and
> local union committee members from the three Ford plants attended
> the union convention. To date, there has been no public press
> about who was "elected" to the CTM National Executive Board posts,
> although Juan Jose Sosa's reelection was guaranteed. We have
> learned that each one of the participants was given 10,000 new
> pesos (or the equivalent of $1,694 US dollars) and vacation days
> to not release information about what went on.
>      In Cuautitlan, approximately 500 Ford workers refused to
> work.  Another 100 workers, with sufficient signatures from
> workers to be elected as delegates, left the plant to protest in
> front of the auditorium where the Congress was held.
>      In Hermosillo, workers protested both outside of the plant
> and before the municipal governor's office.
>      To date there have been no repressive measures taken against
> the workers who participated in these activities. However, it is
> expected that the Ford-Cuautitlan plant will be closed for the
> next two weeks (May 29-June 9). We will keep you up-to-date on
> this.
>      Still, we are encouraged and will continue forward with our
> union education. Thank you for your support. Next week we will
> send a full report.
>      International pressure is our shield against any repression.
>
> The Ford Democratic Workers Movement
>
> P.S. What follows is an article published in El Financiero,
> Mexico's national business newspaper, about the letter Teamster
> President Ron Carey wrote in support of the democratic workers at
> Ford-Cuautitlan to CTM leader Fidel Velasquez.
>
> **TRANSLATION FROM SPANISH INTO ENGLISH**
>
> El Financiero (national business newspaper in Mexico) Friday, May
> 19, 1995 "Fidel told me I should stay": Juan Jos Sosa
>
> U.S. Rejects CTM backing of Ford Cuautitl n Leader by Ivan Sosa
>
> The international transportation workers union, the most powerful
> union in the United States founded by Jimmi Hoffa, sent Fidel Vel
> squez a letter in the context of labor cooperation as required by
> the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).
>
> "It is surprising that you authorize a congress to reelect a union
> leader from Ford-Cuautitlan, Juan Jose Sosa, when the workers know
> nothing about it."
>
> Juan Jose Sosa was appointed to the union leadership through an
> agreement between the CTM and the company to replace Paul Bernardo
> Diaz who had attempted to bring democracy to the internal life of
> the union.
>
> Diaz was thrown out of the union and fired from the company. Juan
> Jose Sosa is willing to be reelected today by a congress the
> workers will not attend but which will be attended by thug groups
> commanded by Sergio Perez Tovar and Guadalupe Uribe. Juan Jose
> Sosa himself confessed: "don Fidel already said what he had to say
> and I'm staying."
>
> Informed of the workers disagreement with the situation, the
> union-
> -whose members are known as the Teamsters--took advantage of their
> new founded influence in Mexico thanks to NAFTA and the
> endorsement of the Congress of Labor.
>
> Under International Brotherhood of the Teamsters AFL-CIO
> letterhead, Ron Carey, president of the union, wrote a letter on
> May 19 addressed to Fidel Velasquez. The letter reads:
>
> "On behalf of the more than 1.4 million transportation workers in
> the United States and Canada, I want to express our deep concern
> with the fact that the Ford workers union is celebrating its
> congress without informing the workers with enough advanced notice
> and without holding democratic elections."
>
> In addition, the message threatens to inform the U.S. Congress
> about the prevailing lack of democracy in Mexico.
>
> The congress will take place today, not in the union hall in
> Cuautitlan but in the CTM "Fernando Arnilpa" auditorium.
>