On September 27, 2022, the AFL-CIO, the United Steelworkers, and the Independent Union of the Free and Democratic Workers of Saint-Gobain México filed a petition with the United States Government with the objective of starting a rapid response labor mechanism at the Saint-Gobain México plant in Cuautla, deriving from alleged violations to the rights of freedom of association and collective bargaining of the workers of that plant. Given the foregoing, the United States Government, through the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative and the Inter-agency Committee, started an investigation that was to be completed by October 27 of this same year.
The D&M Abogados team actively participated during the investigation process with the objective of proving that there was no violation whatsoever by the Company of the abovementioned rights. In this sense, the company was advised to ensure that the voting by workers in regard to the obtention of the certificate of representativeness and the process for this purpose were conducted in strict adherence to the Law and in such a way that the workers were able to assert their personal, free, secret and direct vote in favor of the Union of their choice. Additionally, the D&M Abogados team was in constant communication with national and international authorities throughout the investigation in order to facilitate the investigation process, prove the Company’s impartiality and its commitment to respecting the workers’ rights to freedom of association and collective bargaining.
Finally, on October 27, 2022 (30 days after the complaint was filed), the U.S. Government informed through an official communication that it opted, in this case, not to initiate a rapid response labor mechanism. The foregoing by virtue of the fact that the workers chose the union they preferred in an election that was conducted in a fair and impartial manner. In addition, it acknowledged that the Company worked and continues to work correctly, hand in hand with the Mexican Government, with the objective of addressing any issue immediately.
This is a great accomplishment for the D&M team
