US asks Mexico to probe claims of workers denied rights

The US has asked Mexico to investigate claims that workers at an auto parts facility of American company VU Manufacturing are being denied their labor rights.

This was the sixth time that the US has invoked the Rapid Response Labor Mechanism of the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement, and the first in 2023.

In September, both countries announced that workers at the plant were able to choose the union of their choice, resolving an earlier complaint made by the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement.

The US Trade Representative Katherine Tai said this week that despite the facility taking positive actions in 2022, some of the failures we identified previously appear to be recurring. We look forward to working with the government of Mexico to address this issue. Michigan-based VU Manufacturing plant, located in Piedras Negras, produces interior car parts, including arm rests and door upholstery.

After activists accused the company of interfering in the ability of workers to choose their union, the Biden administration called for a probe into the Mexican plant in July.

This is the second time in less than a year we have received allegations of workers' rights violations by VU Manufacturing, US Labor Secretary Marty Walsh said.

The Biden administration received a petition from two Mexican labor organizations in December, which claimed that workers at VU Manufacturing were denied the right of free association and collective bargaining.