Latin American unionists begin 12-city tour

A 12-city tour by Gilda Chacón Bravo and Pipino Cuevas Velázquez was kicked off in Washington, D.C., on March 17 when the two met with U.S. unionists there.

Chacón is the first representative of the progressive World Federation of Trade Unions to tour the United States. Cuevas Velázquez represents the Mexican Electrical Workers Union (SME), which is battling a wave of union busting in Mexico that saw 44,000 SME members evicted from their jobs 17 months ago.

The tour seeks to introduce workers in the U.S. to the World Federation of Trade Unions, with the objective of promoting dialogue and presenting common areas of interest.

The response here to these class-conscious union leaders shows a growing awareness of the need for international solidarity with workers’ movements in other countries. The living standards of U.S. workers, union and non-union, documented and undocumented, has drastically declined over the last decade. The fightback against stark anti-labor attacks in Wisconsin and the conditions endured by workers in the South, where anti-labor laws are the rule, is also raising class consciousness.

Moving on to Detroit, the Latin American unionists heard from a representative of the musicians in the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, who spoke about their six-month-long strike against “flexibility” rules that would make musicians handle clerical and other duties alongside performing and teaching.

The guest speakers addressed the progress being made by the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America (ALBA) that is improving the conditions of life for the workers in member countries and is promoting cooperation and solidarity among those nations. Leaders of the disability rights battle learned that ALBA is reaching out to many disabled people in Latin America who have had no previous access to health care.

The tour is also promoting the upcoming Trade Union Meeting of Our America, which will take place this year in Nicaragua. Humberto Montes de Oca, the interior secretary for the Mexican Electrical Workers, will join the tour in Los Angeles. Upcoming public events are posted at laborexchange.blogspot.com or www.uniondelbarrio.org.