SAN LUIS POTOSI, Mexico—After a stolen ballot box, an unfair labor complaint against Goodyear and a favorable decision from the U.S. Department of Labor, the 1,144 tire manufacturing workers in San Luis Potosi will be represented by the Independent Union of Goodyear Tire Workers (SITGM).
With about 91 percent of the vote, SITGM defeated the union affiliated with the Confederation of Workers of Mexico (CTM), considered a pro-employer union, in a tally that took place Aug. 7-8 in central Mexico.
A total of 992 of the 1,144 Goodyear workers voted, with 899 voting for SITGM, 30 for CTM and 63 abstaining. The voting segment represented about 79 percent of the total work force.
SITGM is affiliated with the Mexican Workers' Union League (LSOM, or La Liga).
"Goodyear is committed to our employees' rights to free association and collective bargaining and respects the results of the vote," a Goodyear spokesperson told Rubber News Aug. 10. "The company anticipates no impact on the operations of the plant, which is a state-of-the-art facility with strong employee satisfaction and attrition of less than 1 percent."