A 3M-independent Union Gets Bargaining Powers in Central Mexico

La Liga, an independent Mexican union, has won the right to represent workers at a 3M Co plant, authorities announced on Monday, marking the group's second success at a crucial time for workers to challenge established interests.

In January, workers at 3M's plant in the central city of San Luis Potosi, which manufactures everything from Post-It notes to N95 masks, rejected the collective contract negotiated by their long-standing union, the Confederation of Mexican Workers (CTM), paving the way for new representation.

CTM, one of Mexico's most powerful unions, has lost a number of key plants, including General Motors (NYSE:GM), Stellantis, and Panasonic (OTC:PCRFY), as a result of a labor reform and updated trade deal with the United States designed to protect worker rights.

La Liga union head Marco Saucedo, who has worked at 3M for 22 years and produces materials for masking and electrical tapes, stated that La Liga garnered support because it highlighted that workers, not outsiders unfamiliar with day-to-day production challenges, would determine their demands.

He stated, "We are people from the base, regular laborers." "Whatever I do for you will benefit me as well."

La Liga personnel interacted with roughly 2,000 workers one-on-one during lunch and after work, in cafeterias and at bus stops over the course of many months to collect the several hundred signatures required to demonstrate 30% support.

Saucedo stated that the union has six months to negotiate a new contract and seeks to ensure that pay keeps pace with Mexico's rising inflation.

3M did not respond to a request for comment immediately. It has stated in the past that it intends to pay competitive wages and ensure job security, and it will engage with the union chosen by employees.

La Liga will shortly begin contract negotiations with VU Manufacturing, a vehicle upholstery factory near the U.S. border in Piedras Negras, after defeating CTM in August.