TITLE: Immediate Alert from Kuk Dong Struggle

AUTHOR:

PUB: USAS

DATE: February 23, 2001

FROC CROC planning 'strike' this afternoon; Violence and intimidation a high possibility -- immediate pressure needed. The representatives of United Students Against Sweatshops at the Kuk Dong struggle in Atlixco de Puebla, Mexico have just learned that the FROC CROC, the illegitimate, unrepresentative union that Kuk Dong management chose to associate with at the factory, is planning a strike to as soon as 3 pm EST this afternoon (Friday). The possibility of this development was reported in another alert earlier this week, which is also posted below.The workers in the movement for an independent union at Kuk Dong are organizing in resistance to this development by circulating a petition in the factory this morning denouncing the FROC CROC's tactics and urging other workers not to honor the strike. USAS reps are also attempting to get local independent observers, including Nike's independent mediator Arturo Alcalde, to the factory to be a witness this afternoon. However, as reported previously, the possibility of the FROC CROC using violence and intimidation this afternoon to force workers to go on strike is very high. The FROC CROC has been known to attack other CROC members, state police, independent unions, and company representatives at a whim. On March 24, 2000, over 200 CROC members with sticks and stones attacked Puebla state police guarding the Siemens factory, in a similar attempt to impose a strike on the workers who were organizing an independent union. There is also a possibility that if the FROC CROC is successful on getting workers to leave the factory during their strike, that Kuk Dong may use that as legitimacy to again fire workers who are part of the movement for a independent and democratic union. Immediate international pressure denouncing this violence and would further paint the FROC CROC as an illegtimate and dangerous union that violates all basic principles of freedom of association in Puebla, Mexico. Please call and email Nike and governmental representatives in Mexico immediately to tell them that if any violence or intimidation transpires today, that this will be seen as a direct violation of workers? rights to freedom of association, and will reflect poorly on them. Tell Nike that its unwillingness to this point to commit to an ongoing independent monitoring presence by local NGOs in the Kuk Dong plant is only increasing the likelihood of such violence and intimidation in the future, and is hand-in-hand with the FROC CROC?s strategy. Dusty Kidd Global Director for Labor Practices Nike Corporation One Bowerman Drive Beaverton, OR 97003 Phone: (503) 671-6453 Fax: (503) 532-0440 Email: Dusty.Kidd@nike.com Amanda Tucker Senior Labor Practices Manager Nike, Inc. One Bowerman Drive Beaverton, OR 97005 503-532-0311 Email: amanda.tucker@nike.com Mexican Labor Secretary: Lic. Carlos Abascal Carranza Secretaría del Trabajo y Previsión Social Periférico Sur No. 4271 Edif. A, piso 4 Col. Fuentes del Pedregal C.P. 14149. Phone: 011-52-5-645-2962 Fax: 011-52-5-645-5594 Email: cabascal@stps.gob.mx Kukdong International Mexico S.A. de C.V. Retorno de Ave. Continentes Num. 38 Rancho Los Soles Atlixco de Puebla, Mexico Tel: 011-52-244-61020~3 Fax: 011-52-244-61024 Email: kukdong.@rpc.com.mx. Kukdong Corporation (Korea) Kukdong Building 229-3 Young Dap-Dong Sungdong-Ku, Seoul, Korea Tel: (02) 3407-7701~7905 Fax: (02) 2249-5915 2243-7776 email: kukdong@kd.co.kr Update From Struggle at Kuk Dong Factory in Atlixco de Puebla, Mexico, February 18 Illegitimate company union threatens strike in desperate move to restore its authority; Fear of violence against workers escalates United Students Against Sweatshops has just learned from our representatives in Atlixco de Puebla, Mexico that the the FROC CROC, the illegitimate official union allied with management, has filed 21 counts of unfair labor grievances at the Kuk Dong factory as of last Tuesday, February 13th. This is a desperate attempt by the FROC CROC to maintain its authority over the workers sympathetic to the movement to win an independent, democratic union at the factory and to attempt to scuttle the gains that have been made to see that freedom of association is guaranteed in the factory. The grievances allege, among other issues, the following: - that Kuk Dong is showing favoritism toward supporters of the work stoppage and paying them more than others - that two secretaries in the Kuk Dong offices, who have been sympathetic to the movement for an independent union, have treated workers poorly; and - that the previous presence of independent monitors in the factory is unfair meddling by outsiders in the FROC CROC's business, and - that Kuk Dong has interfered in the internal affairs of the FROC CROC by ordering the reinstatement of workers illegally fired during the strike. These grievances have been sent by the FROC CROC via the local government's labor and reconciliation board to Kuk Dong, Nike, and Reebok; supposedly, they are supposed to be given to all workers in the plant, although from independent interviews it turns out that few workers have received them. There is a significant fear that to assert their 'authority' the FROC CROC will again resort to violence in this unfolding episode by trying to force workers at the factory to stage a strike supporting their grievances. This could happen as soon as tomorrow, Monday, February 19th. Incidentally, this is the same date that some of the leaders of the independent union organizing effort, whose illegal firings precipitated the original strike at Kuk Dong in early January, will attempt a return to the factory in a watershed moment for the workers' struggle that would encourage perhaps hundreds of workers who are afraid or unsure to go back in to work at the moment because of fear of company intimidation tactics. These leaders have previously received threats from the security chief at Kuk Dong that they would be physically harmed if they attempted to return. A strike by the FROC CROC would be illegal because it would not be called by a majority vote of the workers in the factory; rather, it would be a strike called by leaders of an undemocratic, unrepresentative, company-allied union who has never previously advocated for improving conditions at the factory previous to this struggle. The leaders of the movement for an independent and democratic union at Kuk Dong are advocating, to demonstrate the illegitimacy of the FROC CROC, that workers do not strike. But there concern that thugs hired by the company union will raid the factory to intimidate workers into going on strike and physically harming those who refuse. It would be an ironic twist on the events that transpired January 11th, when police and thugs from the FROC CROC raided the factory to break up a wildcat strike for an independent union; their violence on that night sent 15 workers to the hospital. As more workers who were illegally fired return to employment at the factory, and the movement for an independent union moves forward, there is a higher likelihood that the FROC CROC or security forces at Kuk Dong will escalate a strategy of violence and intimidation tactics. END top