On July 30, the 1,293 unionized workers (plus 305 temps) of Minera Cananea in Cananea Sonora, Mexico went on strike. They demand more safety in the mines, the opening of a local clinic to provide them with medical care, and recognition of their union representatives. They've been attacked savagely by the company, the local and federal governments, and the mainstream media in Mexico. To top it off, the equivalent of the NLRB in Mexico (the Junta Federal de Conciliación y Arbitraje) declared the strike "non-existent" on a technicality. The company says it's firing all the workers. The 2006 financials of the company don't look too bad (http://www.gmexico.com.mx/Modulos/Finanzas/Publicaciones/Anual/GMexico%20Informe_Anual_2006.pdf). Yesterday, delegations of steelworkers and miners from the U.S. and Canada arrived in Hermosillo to show support and solidarity with the workers in Cananea. They need all help they can get. Unfortunately, as far as I know, they don't have a web site on or some simple way for people to send them money.
One historical reference. In 1906, the miners went on strike led by anarchist leaders. On June 1, 1906, the workers were massacred on the streets of Cananea by a group of U.S. private guards hired by the Cananea Consolidated Cooper Mining Co. This massacre was one of the events that triggered the Mexican Revolution of 1910.
