April 7, 2023
Terminated Universal Douglas Factory Workers Demand Severance
Photo: Periodismo MX Tamaulipas, Facebook
Mexican factory workers show up daily as union has organized a strike to apply pressure
The sudden March 22 closure of the Universal Douglas assembly plant, or "maquiladora," in Matamoros, Mexico, which is on the border with Brownsville, Texas, has left more than 500 employees without a paycheck or any assurance they will receive severance. Workers on the first shift reported to Componentes Universales de Matamoros S.A. de C.V. on Wednesday, March 22, only to find a sign announcing the shutdown of the plant, which produced electronic components for export, and security guards who prevented them from entering. This, according to the bilingual media site La Prensa.
Mexican labor law provides several protections for factory workers who lose pay due to a sudden factory shutdown. If a worker is terminated without cause, Mexican law requires employers to provide severance pay to compensate for lost income. The amount of severance pay depends on factors such as the worker's length of service and salary. Employers are also required to provide workers with at least 30 days' notice of termination, except in cases of "force majeure" (unforeseeable circumstances beyond the employer's control).
Since then, the union workers have been showing up daily, demanding that they receive the benefits they are entitled to. Union protections and Mexican law prohibit sudden shutdowns that do not extend certain benefits to the affected workers. Numerous Facebook posts have documented the situation, and as it remained unresolved two weeks later, the labor union on Wednesday initiated a strike by all its members.
Universal Douglas Factory Workers Strike in Mexico
The union, Sindicato de Jornaleros y Obreros Industriales y de la Industria Maquiladora en Matamoros (SJOIIM), has been actively contesting the sudden shutdown and advocating for the affected workers. The union has asked the Labor Court to impose an embargo on the factory and its contents pending an agreement on severance for the employees.
According to La Prensa, this would be the first such massive job action since 2019 when workers at dozens of maquiladoras walked out for several weeks to demand bonuses.
