The meeting of Gerard and Gomez Urrutia follows recent joint
efforts by the two Presidents' unions. "This kind of
blatant suppression of free trade unionism rips away what little pretense
remains that the Fox regime is anything but thugs in three piece suits."
With an emissary from Los Mineros present at its Executive Board meeting,
the USW unanimously passed the resolution, pledging strong support to Napoleon
Gomez and the Mexican miners' union, including offering Gomez and his family
safe haven, publicizing the "despicable government actions," encouraging
citizens to boycott Mexico as a tourist destination , picketing in front of
Mexican consulates in both the U.

saucepans disarray

S. who had been forced out on strike
by Asarco, a mining company owned by Grupo Mexico. It follows a strike by Mexican Miners in
protest to the decision of the Mexican Government and Grupo Mexico to seal the
Grupo Mexico's Pasta de Conchos mine and end the rescue efforts to reach 65
trapped miners.
3.

It consisted of thousands of people banging on their caceroles (pots and pans), hence the term of the Spanish word 'cacerolazo ' for this type of demonstration.

pans shook

It is also a transparent attempt to silence the voice of the
Mexican Miners Union in the midst of a government campaign to degrade and
further weaken Mexico's labor laws and make it more difficult to strike; and
WHEREAS, Napoleon Gomez has been a friend of the United Steelworkers and a
strong supporter in our struggles against Grupo Mexico here in the United
States . Vicente Fox Quesada
President of Mexico

Francisco Javier Salazar Saenz
Minister of Labor

Dear President Fox:
The United Steelworkers (USW), on behalf of its 850,000 members in the
United States and Canada, condemns in the strongest possible manner your
government 's gross interference in the internal affairs of the National Miners
and Metallurgical Union of Mexico (Los Mineros) and the illegal removal of its
democratically elected General Secretary, Napoleon Gomez .

marxism cacerolazos

"These actions by Fox's government make a mockery of Mexican 'democracy,'"
Gerard said in making public his Executive Board's resolution.

pockets globalized

Negotiations resume on February 17. Chicago Hosts First Solidarity Meeting of WMI Local Union Officials

CHICAGO, Teamster leaders representing workers at
Waste Management, Inc.4 million
hardworking men and women in the United States and Canada.

resignation insurrection

STMMRM represents over 250,000 metal and mining industry workers
in Mexico. 19 underground gas explosion. These actions
will include offering him and his family safe haven, publicizing these
despicable government actions, encouraging citizens to boycott Mexico
as a tourist destination, picketing in front of Mexican consulates in
our countries and pressuring the governments of our two countries to
force Mexico to undo their actions.

capitalism insurrection

and Canada, and pressuring the governments
of both countries to force Mexico to undo its actions. It is yet another reaffirmation of what
we have been saying for years now. Not only are trade union rights
not respected by the government of Mexico, they are suppressed.
The USW stands in solidarity with Los Mineros and Napoleon Gomez and are
prepared to fight, as workers always must , in defense of justice and dignity. With WMI
raking in record profits, sanitation workers deserve raises, not having their
pay slashed by 33 percent.

provoked consisted

Demands immediate reinstatement of union's president , calls for boycott of
Mexico as a tourist destination

PITTSBURGH , The United Steelworkers (USW)
International Executive Board today unanimously condemned Vincente Fox's
government for replacing Napoleon Gomez Urrutia as president of Los Mineros,
the National Miners and Metallurgical Union, labeling Fox's actions "naked
aggression" and demanding that he immediately reinstate Gomez and restore his
personal assets and those of the union, all of which were frozen by the
government.
"We call upon all labor organizations throughout the world to publicly
condemn the actions of the Mexican Government and to take strong steps to get
their countries ' governments to put pressure on the Mexican government to
reverse its illegal actions immediately . We condemn the undemocratic actions of the Mexican Government against
an independent trade union.

March 3, 2006

Mr. We take it as no coincidence that Napoleon Gomez
opposed your so-called labor reform legislation and the fact that his illegal
removal from office comes a short time before a presidential election is to
take place.

schapira solidarity

News From USWA: Steelworkers Deepen Ties with Mexico's Metals Union; Asarco and Parent Grupo Mexico to be One Focus of Joint Efforts

com/cgi -bin/prnh/20060303/CLF056)
"The USW views your actions as naked aggression against Los Mineros ,"
Steelworkers President Leo W.

saucepans cacerolazo

"The Steelworkers have shown support for our members during their
struggles with Grupo Mexico, and I'm here today because STMMRM is
committed to supporting the Steelworkers current efforts and working
more with them in the future," said Gomez Urrutia.

NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT:
1.C.

Later more 'cacerolazos' were used in different parts of the world as means of protest, sometimes in the context of the anti-globalisation movement.

resignation capitalism

(Photo: http://www. The letter condemned the Mexican government's actions as "a
blatant attempt to stifle the voice of workers and all progressive unions in
Mexico," coming as they have a short time before the Mexican elections.
The USW is the largest private sector union in both the U . We will assist in mobilizing the international labor
movement to the best of our ability and pursue the imposition of sanctions
against Mexico in the US and Canada.
Workers also staged a protest at WMI's New York City headquarters that drew
hundreds of Teamster members from Local 813, the New York Teamster local
currently in negotiations with WMI.

saucepans plunders

USWA and the STMMRM have also recently been involved in efforts to
form a coalition of metals and mining industry unions throughout the
Western Hemisphere.org

pans provoked

These efforts included meetings in Peru in November 2003 and
Mexico City in November 2004 of USWA and STMMRM representatives and
representatives of metals and mining industry unions from Argentina,
Bolivia, Chile, Peru and Trinidad.
www.

Waste Management Teamsters Stand With N.Y. and D.C. Sanitation Workers

have the support of the entire union
in their struggle for a fair contract," said Jim Hoffa, Teamsters General
President.

globalized insurrection

"Companies in our industries are increasingly forming regional and
global strategies, and we must coordinate our efforts across borders
if we are to maintain and build on our strength," said Gerard .
The meetings were organized with assistance from the International
Metalworkers Federation, a Geneva, Switzerland based federation of
national unions that represents over 25 million workers in 100
countries.
In fact, Gomez led hundreds of his members in a protest in Mexico City last
year on behalf of Steelworkers in the U. We further demand that the assets of Los Mineros and the personal
assets of Napoleon and his family - all of which have been illegally seized -
be unfrozen.

In solidarity,
Leo W. Secretary of State

(WMI) sites nationwide met in Chicago to coordinate
support across the union for WMI sanitation workers in contract negotiations
in New York City and Washington, D.
"WMI Teamsters in New York and D.

pans hence

The USWA has over 600 ,000 members in the United States and Canada
and represents workers in steel, rubber and tire, aluminum , mining,
glass and health care."
Gerard's letter to Fox said the USW would "pursue all available recourse,
including lodging formal complaints with the International Labor Organization
(ILO) of the United Nations and North American Agreement on Labor Cooperation
(NAALC). It is an outrage that there was an absolute disregard for due process,
and it is abundantly apparent to the USW that the pretext of financial
irregularities is an undisguised sham, since pursuing legal recourse would
have unmasked your government's attempt to demoralize and destroy a free and
independent labor movement.
The USW demands that Napoleon Gomez be reinstated as the rightful General
Secretary of Los Mineros and that the pretender to his rightful office be
removed. Finally, if your government truly has evidence of impropriety
within Los Mineros, we demand that the democratic principle of due process be
adhered to and that this matter be adjudicated in a court of law, not through
extra legal means.
Rest assured that the USW will take appropriate and forceful action if
this injustice is not reversed. "Teamster sanitation drivers and helpers work tirelessly to help
maintain a clean and healthy environment from which we all benefit.

saucepans ija

Contracts covering approximately 750
of these workers expired in June 2004, and they have worked without a
contract since then. It represents workers at Grupo Mexico's Cananea and La
Caridad mines and its Nacozari smelter.
Gomez has been a leading voice in opposing changes to Mexican law sought
by the Fox regime that would outlaw strikes . Gerard
International President

LWG/ldw
c: Condoleezza Rice, U.C.

neoliberalism pans

USW Condemns Fox Government's Suppression of Mexican Miners' Union as 'Naked Aggression'

and Canada.

Contact: Gerald Fernandez (412) 562-2611; or 421-953-7531

RESOLUTION IN SUPPORT OF NAPOLEON GOMEZ

WHEREAS, the Government of Mexico has interfered in the internal affairs
of a free trade union by forcibly removing Napoleon Gomez as head of the
Independent Miners Union, freezing the union's assets and even freezing the
personal assets of Napoleon Gomez. The action was taken without following
established legal procedures;
WHEREAS, the Government's actions can only be viewed as an attempt to
stifle the voice of Mexican miners.
2.

globalized resignation

USWA sent a delegation of members employed by Asarco in Arizona to
Grupo Mexico's smelter in Nacozari , Mexico in October 2004 as a show
of solidarity with the striking STMMRM members there.newscom.S .
The USW views your actions as naked aggression against Los Mineros and as
a blatant attempt to stifle the voice of workers and all progressive unions in
Mexico. We will pursue all available recourse,
including lodging formal complaints with the International Labor Organization
(ILO) of the United Nations and the North American Agreement on Labor
Cooperation (NAALC).

The night of the 19th and 20th December 2001 in Argentina a new type of demonstration that eventually led to the resignation of President Fernando de La Ra was born.

colonisation resignation

uswa.
The Steelworkers and Los Mineros signed a strategic alliance last April,
in which they committed to defend the human rights of each other 's members.

shook saucepans

S."
Teamster leaders launched a public education campaign on WMI's treatment
of its employees early this year.

Founded in 1903, the Teamsters Union represents more than 1.

imperialist consisted

We will take all action necessary to see that this government
attack on him and the miners union does not succeed.S.
Teamsters have conducted informational picketing and leafleting in
California, Seattle, Illinois, Colorado, and Maryland over the past six weeks.

solidarity capitalism

Representatives from the union representing workers at Grupo
Mexico subsidiary Southern Peru Copper Corporation's operations in
Peru participated in the meetings. He has rallied support among
independent unions in opposition to the legislation and is one of a growing
number of Mexican leaders openly condemning the negative impacts of NAFTA and
so-called free trade policies.
The action came on the heels of a strike by Los Mineros in protest to the
decision of the Mexican government to seal the mine owned by Grupo Mexico and
prematurely end the rescue efforts to reach 65 miners trapped as a result of a
Feb. We pledge our strong support to Napoleon Gomez and the Mexican Miners
Union .
Houston-based WMI, the nation's largest private trash hauler, is
attempting to impose deep wage, retirement and health-care cuts on sanitation
truck drivers and helpers despite having a net profit of $939 million during
fiscal year 2004, an increase of 49 percent over 2003.

plunders schapira

MX).
USWA members are employed at Grupo Mexico subsidiary Asarco's
operations in Arizona and Texas. Gerard wrote in a letter to Mexican President
Vincente Fox.

hence colonisation

The
two unions' leaders committed to joint actions when in disputes with
common employers, including the world's third largest copper producer
Grupo Mexico (Mexico: GMEXICOB. We
call upon the governments of the United States and Canada to protest
these actions in the strongest terms. We call upon all labor organizations throughout the world to publicly
condemn the actions of the Mexican Government and take strong steps to
get their countries' governments to put pressure on the Mexican
government to reverse its illegal actions immediately.

provoked schapira

Business Editors

PHOENIX----The United Steelworkers
of America (USWA) President Leo Gerard met today with Mexico's Miners
and Metalworkers Union (STMMRM) President Napoleon Gomez Urrutia as
part of ongoing efforts to strengthen ties between the two unions. This week, Teamsters commissioned an
airplane to fly over the Daytona 500 carrying a banner that read, "WMI and
NASCAR Want Some Drivers to Lose." WMI, a key NASCAR sponsor, is a member of
NASCAR's Diversity Council despite the company's harsh treatment of its
heavily Latino and African-American workforce.