UUSC Programs: Economic Justice

Since its inception in 1995, the Commission for Human and Labor Rights of the Tehuacan Valley in Mexico has fought to uphold the human rights of maquila workers.

A leader in the struggle for unionization in Mexico, the commission has defended hundreds of laborers in the past three years alone, most of whom are indigenous women and young people who represent the most vulnerable sector of the population.

Through human rights workshops, forums, and conferences, the commission ensures that workers have many different opportunities to be educated about their rights as workers and members of the indigenous community of southern Mexico. By writing reports and articles on labor and environmental exploitation in the maquila industry, the commission has garnered support and gained international recognition for its struggle, and has developed the framework for effective corporate advocacy with brands like the Gap.

Due to the controversial, whistle-blowing nature of his work, the director of the commission, Martin Barrios, has confronted fierce opposition from maquila owners and their allies in the Puebla state government. In 2003, he was beaten by guards at a maquila. In 2005, he was arrested and imprisoned, as ordered by the governor of the state of Puebla, who did so at the request of several business owners. UUSC stood in solidarity with Barrios and other local, national, and international allies to secure his release.

UUSC has supported the commission’s work to:

Lead workshops to teach indigenous maquiladora workers about their human rights.

Accompany and provide legal assistance to workers who have been unjustly fired.

Create promoters of labor rights among the indigenous migrant workers as the first phase of the creation of a regional worker coalition and an independent union of the Mexican textile industry.

Analyze the actual situation of the workers, through interviews, accompaniment, and observation.