> Mexican Ford workers solicit your support in their battle against > low wages. > > 1996 is a negotiations year between Ford Motor Co. and its workers > in three plants; Chihuahua, Hermosillo and Cuautitlan. > > THIS IS AN ACTION CALL TO SUPPORT THEIR FIGHT AGAINST LOW WAGES > > Presently, wage negotiations are taking place in Mexico for the > Chihuahua and Hermosillo plants. Cuautitlan plant negotiations are > scheduled for the month of March. > > The negotiations in Chihuahua scheduled to be resolved by the end > of January, concluded on Tuesday, February 27, after two > extensions. while negotiations are taking place concurrently with > the Hermosillo plant workers representatives. > > The negotiations for Chihuahua got idled when FORD offered a total > of 15% wage increase against the workers demand of 30%. > > In the last five years, thousands of Brazilian auto workers were > forced to strike twice in order to obtain higher wage increases > than what FORD offered. The FORD workers in England recently came > out of a bitter strike where the main issue was a wage increase > compatible to England's current cost of living. > > Labor leaders in Chihuahua say they were ready to strike if the > gap did not narrow. The final compromise was of a 25% wage > increase. Mexico suffers presently from a 50% average inflation > rate. The price of the basic goods basket is predicted to rise by > over 74%. The basic goods basket includes consumer goods and > services that are all but indispensable to most of the population. > > > The UAW in the United States and the CAW in Canada, are scheduled > to hold wage and contract negotiations with Ford and the other two > auto makers this year as well. > > Although Ford has increased its investment in Mexican facilities > in recent years resulting in sizable profits due to cheaper cost > of labor and production, it consistently follows the Mexican > government austerity program by keeping wages way bellow current > cost of living. > > "FORD" is a four letter word: The feelings of Ford workers in > several countries have been clearly expressed against their > employer by rewriting the company's logo illustrating Ford's place > in their communities. > > Workers in Brazil rewrote the Ford logo to "FOME" which means > "hunger" in portuguese, when in 1991 fought against an 11% > increase proposal at a time when the country suffered an inflation > rate of 1000% plus. English Ford workers have spelled out their > anger by writing "F---" within the famous blue and silver oval. In > the United States, Ford auto workers have qualified their > company's standing in their communities by replacing "FRAUD" for > the company's name. Santos Martinez, from the Cleto Nigmo Urbina > committee spearheading the democratization movement in > Cuautitlan/Ford, says that although they may think of stronger > words, they may not fit in the small oval space, so they have to > settle for FEOS or FUCHI, which means ugly and disgusting in > spanish to depict the company and the labor relations atmosphere > Ford has created in their plant. > > As it has been expressed during the anti-NAFTA activism, the > interests of the workers in the U.S. and Canada in term of better > wages and job security, are directly related to those of the > Mexican workers. > > We ask you to Contact as many of the people listed below and > insist that FORD respect the human dignity of its workers by > affording them just and fair wages. > > C. T. M. > C. Fidel Velazquez, Presidente Vallarta No. 8 Mexico DF. C.P. > 06030 Ph-011-525-703-3112 > > Sindicato Nacional de Trabajadores de Ford Motor Co. Seccion > Cuautitlan M. Juarez Eudonio, Sec. Gral KM. 36.5 Autopista > Queretaro- Cuautitlan, Edo de Mexico Vallarta 8 2ndo piso Mexico, > 4 DF. Ph- 011-525-326-7212, 7375, 7550, 7573 fx-011-525-326-7476 > > Sindicato Nacional de Trabajadores de Ford Motor Co. Juan J. > Sosa, Sec. Gral. Ncl. Kilometro 36 1/2 Carretera Mexico-Queretaro > Col. Lomas del Salitre Cuautitlan, Ixcala Edo. de Mexico > CP. 54750 > ph-011-525-326-7630, 7232 fx-011-525-326-7476 > > Alex Trotman, CEO. Ford World Headquarters The American Road PO > Box. 1899 Dearborn, MI.48121-1899 Ph-313-322-3000 fx-313-396-2927 > > Ford Motors de Mexico Phillippe Mellier, Pres. Reforma 333 Sexto > Piso Col Cuauhtemoc Mexico, DF. 06500 Ph-011-525-326-6230 > fx-011-525-533-3693 > > President Bill Clinton White House 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. > Washington, DC. 20500 Ph-202 456-1111 Fx-202 456-2461 > > Lic. Ernesto Zedillo Presidente de la Republica Palacio Nacional > 06067 Mexico, DF. ph-011-525-515-3717 fx-011-525-515-8005, 5729 > Fax confirmation numbers: 011-525-515-9829, 8256 > > NAFTA Officers: Robert Reich U.S. Sec. of Labor 200 Constitution > Ave. N.W. Washington, DC. 20210 Ph-202-219-5000 fx-202-219-7312 > > Lic. Javier Bonilla Garcia Sec. Fed. de Trabajo Anillo Periferico > Sur 4271 Piso 4 Fuentes del Pedregal Delegacion Tlalpan Mexico. > 14140 Ph-011-525-645-9638 fx-011-525-645-5594 > > For more information contact > TIE-US. > Julio Cesar Guerrero, MSW 7435 Michigan Ave Detroit, MI. 48210 Ph > 313-842-6262 px313-842-0227 > > NOTE: > > You may use this letter or write your own. Please send copies to: > TIE.US > 7435 Michigan Ave, Detroit, MI. 48210 Fx-313-842-0227 > > I support Ford Workers fair wages: > > Wage negotiations between Ford Motor Co. and its workers are > taking place in Mexico and will take place in the US and Canada > this year also. > > Despite the huge profits that Ford has accrued by increasing > operations in Mexico, the company disregards the economic and most > basic needs of workers by keeping their wages low. > > Ford workers in Chihuahua, Hermosillo and Cuautitlan plants more > than need, deserve your support to gain the respect from their > employer in the form of fair wages, hence dignity and decent > living for their families. > > Recent strikes in Brazil and England over wages are a > manifestation of the company's insensitivity to the problem of the > real wages' actual buying power. > > I urge you to use the authority in your capacity to promote fair > wages for Ford workers. It's the just thing to do!!! >
