US to appeal Mexico’s refusal to investigate labor complaint at Mexican mine

By MARK STEVENSON
Associated Press

MEXICO CITY (AP) — The U.S. government has announced it will file an appeal over Mexico’s refusal to investigate alleged labor violations involving the right to organize. The U.S. Trade Representative’s Office said Tuesday it will take the case to a dispute resolution panel, the first time it has done that on a labor issue. For more than two years, Mexico has accepted U.S. complaints on behalf of union organizers who claimed they were prevented from freely organizing. But since the start of August, Mexico has frefused to intervene in two cases, marking the first time it has rejected labor complaints. The development threatens one of the few unquestioned success stories of labor rights cooperation.