Lexmark Settles With Juárez Factory Workers
A group of Mexican workers has signed an agreement with their former employer, the multi-national company Lexmark, ending a five month protest camp outside a factory in Ciudad Juárez that gained international attention.
Dozens of Juárez workers launched the protest camp outside Lexmark last November, claiming they were fired for trying to organize into a union. The workers protested low pay and poor working conditions, including sexual harassment and a lack of adequate safety gear. Most worked nine hour shifts assembling printer cartridges for $7 dollars a day, which is a standard factory wage in Mexico.
Lexmark has declined to comment on the workers' allegations. On Monday a company spokesman confirmed Lexmark has reached an agreement with its former employees. The workers said they signed the settlement on Saturday. Under the deal both parties are prohibited from discussing any details.
Miriam Delgado, who worked at the Lexmark factory in Juárez for five years, said she was satisfied with the settlement.
"I want to tell other workers that it's not a crime to speak out," she said. "It's our right."
The workers' attorney, Susana Prieto Terrazas, said the settlement benefited 56 workers and didn't require Lexmark to rehire them.
In March, the AFL-CIO together with 34 other organizations like the United Steel Workers and the Washington Office on Latin America sent a letter to Lexmark's CEO urging the company to come to a resolution with its workers.
Meanwhile, other factory worker movements in Juárez continue, including an effort by former employees of the telecommunications company CommScope. They also claim they were fired for starting a union and are suing to get their jobs back. They're also trying to negotiate a new contract that includes higher wages.
Read the letter to Lexmark's CEO from AFL-CIO and other organizations below:
