For the eleventh time in 2024, and twenty-ninth 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 Odisa Concrete Equipment, S.A. de C.V. (Odisa), in Hidalgo, 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 equipment for concrete batching and handling. The request, which was made in response to a petition, marks the twenty-ninth time the United States has formally invoked the Rapid Response Labor Mechanism (RRM) in the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA).
“This is another example of how the Biden-Harris Administration is keeping corporations accountable and lifting up working communities by protecting workers’ rights to freedom of association and collective bargaining,” said Ambassador Katherine Tai. “The United States remains committed to empowering workers through the USMCA, and we look forward to collaborating with the Government of Mexico to address the ongoing denials of rights at this facility.”
“We are deeply concerned by the anti-union activity at the Odisa facility,” said Deputy Undersecretary for International Affairs Thea Lee. “Such practices violate Mexican labor laws and undermine the labor protections established under the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement. We look forward to working closely with the government of Mexico to resolve these denials of rights.”
Background
The United States Trade Representative and the Secretary of Labor co-chair the Interagency Labor Committee for Monitoring and Enforcement (ILC). On September 23, 2024, the ILC received an RRM petition from the Sindicato Nacional de Trabajadores de la Construcción, Acarreo de Materiales, Operación de Autopistas, Transporte en General, Comercialización y Servicios en General, Seguridad Privada, Hospitales, Oficinas, Escuelas Particulares, Químico y Plástico, Actividades y Conexos. The petition alleges Odisa is violating workers’ right to collective bargaining, effective union democracy, and the full exercise of freedom of association, including by dismissing workers affiliated with the union. 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 that Mexico review whether workers at Odisa are being denied the right to freedom of association and collective bargaining. Mexico has 10 days to agree to conduct a review and, if it agrees, 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.
###
