Another Mexican Auto Parts Plant Cited for USMCA Labor Violations

The U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement’s Interagency Labor Committee for Monitoring and Enforcement today requested the government of Mexico review an allegation that workers at the Yazaki auto parts facility in Leon, Guanajuato, are being denied the right to freedom of association.

 This is the seventh time in 2023, and twelfth time overall, the United States has sought Mexico’s review under the USMCA’s Rapid Response Labor Mechanism. 

The action follows a petition alleging the plant is violating workers’ freedom of association and the exercise of their right to collective bargaining. The U.S. Department of Labor and U.S. Trade Representative co-chair the Interagency Labor Committee. 

On May 18, 2023, Yazaki workers, supported by workers’ rights organization Casa Obrera del Bajío, filed a USMCA Rapid Response Labor Mechanism petition with the department. The petition alleges various irregularities in a collective bargaining agreement “legitimization” vote in March 2023, in which workers ratified the existing agreement held by the Sindicato Nacional de Trabajadores de la Industria Metal-Mecanica, Sidero-Metalurgica, Automotriz y Proveedoras de Autopartes en General, de la Energia, Sus Derivados y Similares de la República Mexicana, known as “Miguel Trujillo Lopez.” 

An investigation by the U.S. government concluded that the Miguel Trujillo Lopez union misinformed workers before and during the vote about the legitimization process’ purpose and potential consequences in an attempt to influence the outcome.

“Respect for workers’ right to approve their collective bargaining agreement, freely and without interference, is a critical component of Mexico’s labor reform,” said Deputy Labor Undersecretary for International Affairs Thea Lee.

Sufficient and credible evidence supporting the allegations enabled the committee to invoke the Rapid Response Labor Mechanism. Mexico’s government has 10 days to decide whether to conduct a review and 45 days to investigate the claims and present its findings. 

The USMCA Rapid Response Labor Mechanism allows the U.S. to take enforcement action based on the labor situation at an individual factory in Mexico that fails to comply with domestic freedom of association and collective bargaining laws.

A subsidiary of Yazaki Corp., Grupo Yazaki S.A. de C.V. is an auto parts manufacturer with facilities in eight Mexican states, employing 58,000 workers. The León facility has more than 2,800 workers and manufactures electronic automotive parts and components used at major auto assembly plants.

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