Contact: Jess Kamm Broomell, 412-562-2444, jkamm@usw.org
United Steelworkers (USW) International President Tom Conway today sent a letter to U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, Secretary of Labor Eugene Scalia, and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo stating concerns about the treatment of independent trade union lawyer and attorney Susana Prieto Terrazas.
Prieto, an outspoken advocate for labor rights, was jailed in June and has now been ordered to attend court hearings this week where it is likely that she will again be detained and incarcerated.
The letter further expresses alarm that Prieto’s treatment undermines the Mexican labor law reforms spelled out in the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) and urges the administration to convey these concerns to the Mexican authorities.
See the full text of the letter here.
The USW represents 850,000 workers employed in metals, mining, pulp and paper, rubber, chemicals, glass, auto supply and the energy-producing industries, along with a growing number of workers in health care, public sector, higher education, tech and service occupations.