It was not an easy decision for them to make, given the record of previous cases. Almost all have charged that Mexico does not enforce laws guaranteeing workers the right to form unions of their choice, and to strike effectively when they do. A few have been filed against the U.S., charging a similar lack of enthusiasm in enforcing workers' rights. All of the cases have met a similar fate. Hearing are held.
Workers testify, sometimes at considerable risk.
The National Administrative Office of the U.S. Department of Labor, which hears the complaints against Mexico, concludes in almost every case that serious violations of the law have occurred. No remedies have ever been imposed which would have required rehiring a single fired worker. Not one independent union has been able to negotiate a contract as a result of any NAO ruling. This forum on the right of workers to form independent unions was the only remedy sought by the NAO for the extensive violations of workers' rights in the three-year struggle at the plant. U.S. officials present made no public protest over the violence and expulsions.