United States Seeks Mexico's Review of Alleged Denial of Workers’ Rights at Vidrio Decorativo Occidental, S.A. de C.V.
For the twelfth time in 2024, and thirtieth time overall, the United States has sought Mexico’s review under the USMCA’s Rapid Response Labor Mechanism.
WASHINGTON – United States Trade Representative Katherine Tai announced today that the United States has asked Mexico to review whether workers at Vidrio Decorativo Occidental, S.A. de C.V. (VDO), in Tamaulipas, Mexico, are being denied the right to freedom of association and collective bargaining. The United States has suspended liquidation of tariffs on goods from the facility, which specializes in manufacturing glass inserts for doorframes, doors with insulated glass, and window blinds. The request, which was made in response to a petition, marks the first time the United States has formally invoked the Rapid Response Labor Mechanism (RRM) in the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) in the glass manufacturing sector.
“This is the thirtieth time the United States has invoked the RRM, and the first time we’ve done so in the glass manufacturing sector. This is how the Biden-Harris Administration continues to hold corporations accountable and use trade to drive a race to the top, across a wide range of sectors,” said Ambassador Katherine Tai. “The RRM has been instrumental in bringing real, tangible benefits to workers and their communities. As in previous matters, we look forward to collaborating with the Government of Mexico to address the denial of rights at this facility.”
“Company interference that undermines the standing of workers’ duly selected representative union is a serious violation of both Mexican labor law and the labor provisions of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement,” said Deputy Undersecretary for International Affairs Thea Lee. “We look forward to working with the Mexican government to resolve this matter.”
Background
The United States Trade Representative and the Secretary of Labor co-chair the Interagency Labor Committee for Monitoring and Enforcement (ILC). On October 10, 2024, the ILC received an RRM petition from the Sindicato Nacional Independiente de Trabajadores de Industrias y de Servicios “Movimiento 20/32” (SNITIS), United Steelworkers (USW), and Rethink Trade. The petition alleges VDO is violating workers’ right to freedom of association and collective bargaining by interfering in workers’ union activity, retaliating against workers due to their union affiliation, promoting affiliation with a company-dominated union and by refusing to bargain with SNITIS. The ILC reviews RRM petitions that it receives, and the accompanying information, within 30 days.
The ILC determined that there is sufficient, credible evidence of a denial of rights enabling the good faith invocation of enforcement mechanisms. As a result, the United States Trade Representative has submitted a request to Mexico to review whether workers at VDO are being denied the right to freedom of association and collective bargaining. Mexico has 10 days to respond and, if it agrees to conduct a review, 45 days from today to complete the review.
A copy of the request for review can be found here.
A copy of the letter to the Secretary of the Treasury can be found here.
Information about previous requests can be found here.
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