Pascrell, Blumenauer, Kildee Urge GM and Mexican Government to Respect Workers’ Freedoms

Chairmen act amid reports of intimidation ahead of union vote for 6,300 Chevy and GMC eligible workers

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Rep. Bill Pascrell, Jr. (D-NJ-09), the Chairman of the House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Oversight, alongside, Reps. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR-03), the Chairman of the Ways and Means Subcommittee on Trade, and Dan Kildee (D-MI-05), today released the following statement amid reports of worker intimidation ahead of next week’s union election at General Motors’ Silao plant in Mexico:

“Workers should be able to choose what union they want to represent them without interference from corporations or sham protection unions, whether they work in Mexico or the United States. As Congress continues our oversight of United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) labor enforcement, we are alarmed by reports of continued harassment, intimidation, and violence against independent union activists in the General Motors’ (GM) auto plant in Silao, Mexico leading up to next week’s union election.  Thanks to the steadfast work of House Democrats and the leadership of Ambassador Katherine Tai last year, the Silao facility became the site of the United States government’s first-ever self-initiated labor case after brazen worker rights violations occurred during a union contract legitimation vote.

“Without immediate action to protect the workers’ rights, the historic progress made in enforcing the 2021 case could be lost.  It is imperative that GM and Mexico’s labor authority ensure that every single worker may cast a secret ballot freely and without intimidation, disseminate election information to all workers, guarantee official and independent election observers are present immediately, and facilitate transportation and full access to vote for all workers. These essential protections help protect the rights of workers in Mexico and also in the United States by raising the floor of labor standards across both sides of our border.”

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