TITLE: Update From Struggle at Kuk Dong Factory in Atlixco de Puebla, Mexico

AUTHOR:

ORG: USAS

DATE: February 19, 2001

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. Incidentially, 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 alled 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. Because of this possibility, it is urgent that Nike do two things immediately to guarantee the safety of workers at Kuk Dong and ensure that their freedom of association is respected: (1) Nike must make a public commitment to maintain a third party monitoring presence at the factory of local human rights organizations in Puebla to ensure that the workplace is an environment free of intimidation through the duration of this struggle. This is a demand repeated previously several times over the past few weeks, without an ongoing commitment yet to maintain this third party presence. Given the escalating situation at Kuk Dong, this is now only all the more urgent and necessary. Not maintaining this presence when the history and threats of violent intimidation tactics by the FROC CROC and security at Kuk Dong are so high would serve to make Nike complicit in that strategy. (2) Since the grievances filed on Februrary 13th were sent to both Nike and Reebok, as well as Kuk Dong management, they should release publicly the date and time that was set by the local labor and reconciliation board that a strike may begin if the allegations are not answered. These demands are in addition to the ones posted last Friday about the planned return to the factory this week of the leadership of the movement for an independent union and guaranteeing freedom of association for the workers at Kuk Dong. Those demands also included: 1. Publicly guarantee the safe and unconditional return of the 5 leaders originally fired in the Kuk Dong struggle, and to renounce the earlier threats to their physical safety and the issuing of warrants for their arrest. Demand that they reaffirm their commitment that all workers should be rehired to Kuk Dong unconditionally and without reprisal, and to increase their pressure on Kuk Dong management to see that this is carried out. Nike wrote in a statement released last Friday that ?The factory intends to rehire the original five workers that initiated the work stoppage and has made a formal written request that charges be dropped against the workers in connection with the events of January.? The proof of that will begin tomorrow. 2. Publicly call on Kuk Dong to rehire all returning workers unconditionally and under the same salary, position, and seniority of their previous employment, including guarantees that all leaders of the independent union effort will not continue to be isolated from other workers at the factory. Nike?s statement last Friday said that the factory intends to reinstate all of the workers at the same salary, benefits, and seniority. However, they said nothing about bringing workers back to their former positions, and USAS reps reported that Kuk Dong resisted an attempt by Reebok to meet about the situation of Ivan de Erick Diaz Xolo, the worker who released a statement to the U.S. last week describing how he has been confined to an office, away from other employees, since returning from the work stoppage. 3. Publicly call on Kuk Dong to discontinue the illegal process of forcing returning workers to sign statements of loyalty to the FROC CROC, and urge Kuk Dong to drop its illegal and invalid "protection contract" with the FROC CROC. 4. Publicly reaffirm their commitment to continue the same levels of production at Kuk Dong - Mexico as it has since the factory opened and see to it that Kuk Dong remains in Atlixco de Puebla. Please contact the following people and urge university presidents with Nike contracts and licensing codes of conduct to publicly call on Nike to enforce the freedom of association of the codes by complying with the above demands.: Dusty Kidd, Global Director for Labor Practices, Nike Corporation, One Bowerman Drive, Beaverton, OR 97003 Phone: (503) 671-6453 Fax: (503) 532-0440 Amanda Tucker, Senior Labor Practices Manager Nike, Inc. One Bowerman Drive Beaverton, OR 97005 503-532-0311 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 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, E-mail: kukdong@kd.co.kr 2) Contact the Mexican Labor Secretary: Urge the Labor Secretary to use this conflict as an opportunity to prove that Mexico is a fair and stable place for people to work without violent intimidation, and that all workers enjoy the right to organize independent unions. Contact: 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 Basic history about the struggle at Kuk Dong Kuk Dong has been the site of a 1 ½ month long struggle for freedom of association, just wages and benefits, fair conditions, and an end to physical and verbal abuse as well as forced overtime. The workers make an average of 75-cents per hour, far below the cost of living for a family in the region, and are forced to eat rancid food supplied by the company in its cafeteria. The struggle was initiated when all of the 850 workers in the factory went on a wildcat strike on January 9th after 5 workers were fired at the factory for being leaders in a campaign to organize an independent union at the factory. Days later, as the workers occupied the factory grounds, 200 riot police raided the factory raided the strike, and thugs hired by the company and it's undemocratic union, the FROC CROC beat several workers, sending 15 to the hospital. Two days later, an agreement was reached to allow the strikers to return to work without reprisals, but shortly after hundreds of returning workers were either fired or forced to resign. After an escalation in pressure in Puebla and internationally, the company signed a second agreement on January 25th stating that all workers could return to their jobs unconditionally and without reprisal. END top