From: lenore palladino (lenore@usasnet.org)
Date: Thu Oct 17 2002 - 21:32:54 EDT
dear USAS, i spent my summer working with these folks and they are amazing
organizers and people- please show your solidarity with the workers at Alcoa
today! thanks, lenore
(also see attached in english and spanish, and spread the word!)
Solidarity with Mexican Alcoa Workers-WRITE A LETTER TODAY!
> (Your solidarity is urgent! Please forward this message.)
>
> The 14,000 workers employed at Alcoa's maquiladoras in the
> Mexican cities of Piedras Negras and Ciudad Acuña have
> been successfully organizing for many years. They have
> won important victories collectively and individually,
> raising salaries and improving their working conditions.
> During the last year, however, workers have had to defend
> against the company’s counter-attack as Alcoa
> bolsters its profits by slashing benefits, turning back
> contractual gains and attacking the basic right of freedom
> of association and union choice. In the past weeks Alcoa
> has fired 20 key leaders in the workers' independent union
> organizing drive.
>
> The fired Alcoa workers demand (and you should too!):
>
> 1. Reinstatement of all workers fired for independent
> union organizing.
> 2. Stop to all intimidation of workers inside and outside
> the factory.
> 3. Fire Alcoa-Piedras Negras General Manager Paulino
> Vargas and Human Resource Manager José Juan Ortiz.
>
> Let Alcoa know that you do not agree with how it does
> business!
>
> 1. Send a fax and e-mail to Alain Belda, CEO Alcoa Inc.
> Fax: 412-553-4498 (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania);
> alain.belda@alcoa.com. (sample letter below).
> 2. From now until November 1st organize actions at Alcoa
> plants and offices in the United States.
> 3. Contact the headquarters of Ford Motor Company, Subaru,
> Harley Davidson, Chrysler and General Motors. Urge these
> Alcoa customers to communicate with Alcoa CEO Alain Belda
> to insist that he resolve solution to the workers’
> problems.
> 4. If you represent a Mexican organization, send a copy of
> your message to José Antonio Alvarado Corona, Director
> General, Alcoa Fujikura Ltd.; Fax: 001 (830) 703-7498 (Del
> Rio, Texas); Jose.C.Alvarado@alcoa.com
>
> ----------------------------
> "We demand democracy and freedom to form our own union! We
> demand it now! We need your support to strengthen our
> voice and force Alcoa to change its unfair practices. The
> struggle is hard but we’re going to win! In this
> moment of solidarity, every bit of support is important
> and appreciated."
>
> Vicky Martínez, Carlos Briones, Javier Carmona, Julia
> Quiñonez (Comite Fronterizo de Obrer@s, CFO)
> --October 12, 2002
>
>
> In the face of firings and intimidation, the workers hold
> their ground
>
> Alcoa wants to eliminate the democratic movement of its
> workers through acts that are illegal, abusive of power
> and repressive. These include threats and harassment,
> intimidation, corruption of the labor authorities and
> local media, lies and defamation, video surveillance of
> workers both inside and outside the plant, psychological
> “therapy” aimed at dispelling worker unrest,
> interference with internal union matters, and open support
> for the corrupt leaders of the government-controlled CTM
> union. Alcoa fired 20 workers solely for organizing a free
> and independent union to represent them.
>
> In the most recent event of October 4, Alcoa management
> fired 20 workers from plants #1 and #2. Among the fired
> were four members of the sectional committee of Plant #2.
> Although technically a committee of the CTM, the members
> of the sectional committee are all rank-and-file workers
> who won a historic election last March to oust their
> corrupt predecessors. Among the fired workers from Plant
> #1 were five members of a slate of candidates poised to
> repeat the success in a soon to be held election at that
> plant. Together, the independent movement has taken legal
> steps to form their own independent and democratic union.
>
>
> The Plant #2 sectional committee achieved unprecedented
> success by leading a heroic experiment in true democratic
> unionism for six months inside the plant of almost 2,000
> workers. Never before had this been achieved in the
> history of the maquiladora industry along the U.S.-Mexico
> border.
>
> ¡A triumph in this struggle will consolidate the victories
> previously gained by Alcoa workers in Piedras Negras!
>
> --------------------------------------------
> Sample letter to Alain Belda
>
> Alain Belda
> Chairman and CEO, Alcoa Inc.
>
> Dear Mr. Belda:
>
> The management of Alcoa Fujikura Ltd. in Piedras Negras,
> Mexico is committing reprehensible acts against the right
> of Mexican employees to freely associate and to join the
> union of their choice. These acts violate labor law, the
> Mexican Constitution, and the Mission, Principles and
> Values of Alcoa.
>
> The acts include the firing of labor unionists and
> workers, as well as the intimidation of workers inside and
> outside Alcoa’s plants. Your employees in Piedras
> Negras and neighboring Ciudad Acuña have rightfully
> protested the severe deterioration in their salaries and
> working conditions resulting from your efforts to reduce
> costs by one billion dollars in 2001-2003. It is unfair
> that the heaviest weight of these cost reductions should
> fall on the shoulders of your Mexican employees.
>
> We ask you to put a stop to the abuses against your
> Mexican employees, to order the reinstatement of the fired
> workers in Piedras Negras, and to replace the two managers
> who are causing the most serious damage to the reputation
> of your company: Mr. Paulino Vargas and Mr. José Juan
> Ortiz, general manager and manager of human resources
> respectively. We urge you to act immediately.
>
> Sincerely,
> (Signed)
>
> ------------------------------------------
> Suggestions and criteria for this campaign:
>
> · The workers ask that you participate in an international
> pressure campaign that is intense, and immediate.
> · Where possible, please use your contacts to seek high
> profile leaders (union officials, directors of NGOs,
> church leaders, etc) who can communicate by letter and
> telephone with Alain Belda.
> · It is asked that this Call for Solidarity with Mexican
> Alcoa Workers be widely distributed, for e-mail, internet
> websites, and other means of communication, and that as
> much visibility as possible be given to this struggle.
> Each organization has permission to edit the information
> in this update and the “Alcoa in Mexico”
> Information Updates in accordance with its needs.
> · It is recommended that groups in the United States,
> Canada and other countries send messages only to Alain
> Belda. Groups in Mexico will send e-mails and faxes both
> to Alain Belda and to the Mexican Alcoa manager, José
> Antonio Alvarado Corona.
> · The CFO asks that international pressure be focused on
> Alcoa in the United States and other countries.
> Therefore, it respectfully asks that delegations or
> observers not request to come to Piedras Negras at this
> time.
>
> There are many possibilities and much potential to develop
> the Alcoa campaign, but remember: the emphasis is on the
> rapidness of the solidarity response. And if you have
> time left over, send a message of solidarity to the
> workers of Alcoa: CFO@comuni-k.com and
> msn@mexicosolidarity.org.
>
> #############################################################
> Mexico Solidarity Network http://www.mexicosolidarity.org
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