The U.S. and Mexico have announced the resolution of the first United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement facility-specific Rapid Response Labor Mechanism matter in the food manufacturing sector.
The issue regarded the RV Fresh Foods facility in the Mexican state of Michoacán, where workers were previously denied their freedom of association and collective bargaining rights, according to a news release.
In April 2024, the U.S. and Mexico agreed on a holistic plan to address labor violations at the facility. That plan has now been implemented and workers’ rights restored, the release said.
As a result, the U.S. trade representative has directed the Treasury secretary to resume liquidation of unliquidated entries of goods from the facility, the release said.
“Today’s resolution is yet another example of the RRM’s significant contribution toward upholding workers’ rights and securing remedies for workers when their rights are violated,” Ambassador Katherine Tai said in the release. “We commend the government of Mexico for their efforts to address the denials of rights that occurred. We consider the actions taken to fulfill this course of remediation a way forward for workers at the facility to be able to fully exercise their freedom of association and collective bargaining rights.”
“The U.S. and Mexican governments have again collaborated to establish a robust remediation plan to ensure that workers can exercise their rights to freedom of association and collective bargaining,” Deputy Undersecretary for International Labor Affairs Thea Lee said in the release. “This collaboration under the USMCA’s Rapid Response Labor Mechanism has empowered workers at RV Fresh with vital information about their workplace rights and the company has made its neutrality stance clear and developed comprehensive guidelines and training materials. These efforts underscore the company’s commitment to fostering an equitable working environment for its employees.”
Actions taken by the facility to address the matter include:
- Distributing hard copies of the collective bargaining agreement to all workers.
- Implementing its neutrality statement and company guidelines on freedom of association and collective bargaining, including a zero-tolerance policy for violations, and committing to delivering annual training to all company personnel on these commitments.
- Maintaining on its website the company guidelines, neutrality statement, zero-tolerance policy for the violation of these policies, and information about how workers can file complaints with the government of Mexico related to violations of their rights.
Read the full course of remediation here.
