print this page

"Companies in our industries are increasingly forming regional and global strategies, and we must coordinate our efforts across borders if we are to maintain and build on our strength," said Gerard.

The meeting of Gerard and Gomez Urrutia follows recent joint efforts by the two Presidents’ unions.

USW sent a delegation of members employed by Asarco in Arizona to Grupo Mexico’s smelter in Nacozari, Mexico in October 2004 as a show of solidarity with the striking STMMRM members there.

"The Steelworkers have shown support for our members during their struggles with Grupo Mexico, and I’m here today because STMMRM is committed to supporting the Steelworkers current efforts and working more with them in the future," said Gomez Urrutia.

USW members are employed at Grupo Mexico subsidiary Asarco’s operations in Arizona and Texas. Contracts covering approximately 750 of these workers expired in June 2004, and they have worked without a contract since then. Negotiations resume on February 17.

USW and the STMMRM have also recently been involved in efforts to form a coalition of metals and mining industry unions throughout the Western Hemisphere.

These efforts included meetings in Peru in November 2003 and Mexico City in November 2004 of USW and STMMRM representatives and representatives of metals and mining industry unions from Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Peru and Trinidad.

Representatives from the union representing workers at Grupo Mexico subsidiary Southern Peru Copper Corporation’s operations in Peru participated in the meetings.

The meetings were organized with assistance from the International Metalworkers Federation, a Geneva, Switzerland based federation of national unions that represents over 25 million workers in 100 countries.

STMMRM represents over 250,000 metal and mining industry workers in Mexico. It represents workers at Grupo Mexico’s Cananea and La Caridad mines and its Nacozari smelter.