Hi John,
My name is Janet Gray. I’m a renewal parts cataloger at Wabtec and a proud member of UE Local 618 in Erie, PA. Last May, I participated in UE Research and Education Fund’s Worker to Worker Exchange Program in Mexico, and I learned so much about international worker solidarity! I want every worker to have the same experience.
Working for an American company that has manufacturing facilities in Mexico is tough. The bosses move our jobs south of the border, and when we protest, they say it’s just economics: Mexican workers are happy to do the same for less, so they get the work. As a long-time union member, that line makes me suspicious. I joined the Mexico exchange to see for myself.
John, one week in Mexico opened my eyes to the real story—the one the bosses don’t want us to know. UEREF brought rank-and-file UE members together to exchange knowledge with our allies at the Frente Auténtico del Trabajo (Authentic Workers’ Front), an independent federation of labor unions, worker-owned cooperatives, and farmworker and community organizations across Mexico. When we arrived we saw clearly that our fellow workers are not the enemy. Greedy corporations are. I couldn’t believe the poverty I saw everyday workers living in. Their labor conditions are unsafe. Women are paid less and subject to sexual harassment. The minimum wage is far too low and the legal limit on working hours is far too high to enable people to build a decent life for their families. I felt a new respect for union history in the US and a wave of anger on behalf of my new Mexican friends.
Janet Gray (left, front) with other members of the UE delegation and FAT members in Aguascalientes, Mexico.
The more I talked with these workers, the more my heart opened up to them. During our Worker to Worker Exchange, we learned about each other’s lives and struggles and realized that our fight is one and the same. Mexican workers aren’t “happy to do more for less.” Our employers tell us that to try to divide the working class. Mexican workers want what we want: safe, dignified, family-sustaining union jobs. That’s why unionizing across borders is so necessary. None of our jobs are safe until all of our jobs are safe, across North America.
While we learned about each other’s struggles and triumphs, we also built essential leadership skills that we brought back to our workplaces. We learned about power analysis, base-building, and meeting facilitation. Most importantly, we learn how to tell our stories effectively to shift the narrative on good jobs and the economy. Armed with these skills and a deeper understanding of the human cost of employers’ nationalist rhetoric, the workers in my group came home prepared to meet any challenge and demand dignity for workers everywhere.
John, UEREF’s Worker to Worker Exchange program was transformational for me. I came home with two big realizations: First, every worker should have the opportunity to build solidarity across borders. If they did, we’d be having an entirely different conversation about international labor standards and the lie of zero-sum economics. Second, as American workers we need to help our Mexican allies fight back. We need to make sure the FAT has the international support to win decent wages and working conditions for Mexican workers.
Neither of these goals is cheap. But they’re worth it. Our cause is the same. The more we share our experiences and resources with our fellow workers across borders, the closer we’ll come to economic justice for workers the world over.
Invest in international worker solidarity today.
In solidarity,
Janet Gray,
Business Agent, UE Local 618
Recording Secretary, UE Eastern Region
