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Mónica Ortiz Uribe

Former factory workers employed by the American-owned telecommunications company, CommScope, gather outside the state labor tribunal in Ciudad Juárez. These workers are part of the city's only independently organized factory union, now in negotiations for higher pay with CommScope.

Factory workers in the Mexican border city of Juárez are testing the strength of their newly created union in contract negotiations with the American telecommunications firm CommScope.

Workers for CommScope's factories in Ciudad, Juárez, earn a base salary of $6 a day making the cables that enable major cellphone networks and internet connections to function.

In December, nearly 200 of those workers got state approval to form the city's only independently organized factory union. Many claim they were fired for their efforts and are now suing the company. In a written statement, CommScope denies this claim, saying workers were fired for violating the rules. 

Meanwhile, attorneys for both sides began contract negotiations this week. Among the workers' chief complaints are poor treatment of injured workers, mandatory overtime without extra pay and inadequate sick leave. The workers are also asking for a base salary of $15 a day.

CommScope employs 4,000 workers in Juárez. The company has other factories in China, India and the Czech Republic.