USTR Invokes USMCA in Defense of Call Center Workers' Rights in Mexico

In an unprecedented move, Katherine Tai, the United States Trade Representative (USTR), has invoked the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) in defense of call center workers' rights in Mexico. The intervention, a first in the call center industry, specifically targets Atento Servicios, S.A. de C.V., a multinational corporation known for providing outsourced customer support services.

Accusations of Workers' Rights Violations

Reports suggest that employees at the company's facilities in Pachuca, Hidalgo, are being denied their basic rights to freedom of association and collective bargaining. The U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement’s Interagency Labor Committee for Monitoring and Enforcement has requested the Mexican government to conduct a review at these Atento call centers.

The request, made under the USMCA’s Rapid Response Labor Mechanism, alleges unlawful termination of workers for union organizing and interference with union activities. The U.S. government claims to have found evidence of freedom of association abuses, leading to the invocation of the USMCA’s Rapid Response Labor Mechanism.

Implications for Labor Standards

This step by the USTR is an attempt to protect workers' rights not only in Mexico but also in the U.S., with the aim to prevent a 'race to the bottom' in labor standards. This marks the nineteenth time the U.S. has invoked the mechanism, but the first time in the telecommunications sector.

Mexico now has ten days to decide whether to conduct a review and 45 days to investigate the claims and present its findings. This action could have far-reaching implications for labor rights across international borders.

Solidarity from Communications Workers of America

The Communications Workers of America (CWA), which represents workers in various sectors, has expressed solidarity with Atento Servicios' workers in their struggle for union recognition and fair compensation. This support from the CWA underscores the broader implications of such trade mechanisms on labor rights and the importance of international cooperation in enforcing these rights.