Mexican Labor Ruling Favors "Open Shops"


Via NY Transfer News Collective * All the News that Doesn't Fit


Wednesday, May 12, 1999; 8:17 p.m. EDT

MEXICO CITY (AP) -- In its most important labor-law ruling in years,
Mexico's supreme court has decided in favor of ``open shop'' rules at
companies, allowing employees to belong to any union, or none at all.

The Tuesday ruling on four constitutional appeals, filed by two unions and
two individual workers, sets precedent for state and federal courts.

The ruling could affect the power long enjoyed by a handful of huge,
pro-government unions that automatically register employees as members
when they are hired and deduct union dues from their paychecks.

The court upheld a requirement that a union have a minimum of 20 members,
or meet other requirements to prove it represents at least some workers in
a given industry. The ruling also upholds the rights of employees to quit
-- or refuse to join -- a union.

The ruling will take effect as soon as it is published in the official
gazette.

Mandatory union membership has long discouraged the growth of independent
unions here.

(c) Copyright 1999 The Associated Press

 
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