National Union of Mine and Metal Workers of the Mexican Republic
Encyclopedia
The National Union of Mine and Metal Workers of the Mexican Republic is a union
of coal
and copper
miners
, as well as iron
and steel
workers, in Mexico
. It was founded in 1934, and in 1936 it became an affiliate of the newly formed Confederation of Mexican Workers (CTM).
The SNTMMSRM's leaders were initially staunch allies of Vicente Lombardo Toledano, the head of the CTM. In 1949, when Lombardo Toledano left the CTM to form the rival General Union of Workers and Campesinos (UGOCM) and the Popular Party
, the SNTMMSRM joined these new organizations. The unions of railroad workers (STFRM) and oil workers (STPRM) also supported Lombardo Toledano.
The ruling Institutional Revolutionary Party
(PRI) and the CTM saw Lombardo Toledano and these unions as a threat, and in the 1950 the government installed charros
(corrupt labor bosses) in the leadership of the SNTMMSRM. The most important of these charros was Napoleón Gómez Sada, who was the president of the SNTMMSRM for decades until he was replaced by his son in 2001.
The pro-government SNTMMSRM leaders faced little opposition from the miners' locals (except for Local 65 in Cananea
, Sonora
). However, a strong reform campaign was initiated in the 1970s and 1980s by steelworkers' locals.
The current leader of the SNTMMSRM is Napoleón Gómez Urrutia, son of the long-time union president. Gómez Urrutia is today living in exile in Canada, where he fled after being accused of fraud by Mexican authorities. Deemed innocent by his supporters and re-elected to a six-year term in May 2008, Gómez Urrutia has organized the union remotely from Vancouver
, British Columbia, since 2006."
Trade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
of coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
and copper
Copper
Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29. It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is soft and malleable; an exposed surface has a reddish-orange tarnish...
miners
Mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
, as well as iron
Iron
Iron is a chemical element with the symbol Fe and atomic number 26. It is a metal in the first transition series. It is the most common element forming the planet Earth as a whole, forming much of Earth's outer and inner core. It is the fourth most common element in the Earth's crust...
and steel
Steel
Steel is an alloy that consists mostly of iron and has a carbon content between 0.2% and 2.1% by weight, depending on the grade. Carbon is the most common alloying material for iron, but various other alloying elements are used, such as manganese, chromium, vanadium, and tungsten...
workers, in Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
. It was founded in 1934, and in 1936 it became an affiliate of the newly formed Confederation of Mexican Workers (CTM).
The SNTMMSRM's leaders were initially staunch allies of Vicente Lombardo Toledano, the head of the CTM. In 1949, when Lombardo Toledano left the CTM to form the rival General Union of Workers and Campesinos (UGOCM) and the Popular Party
Popular Socialist Party (Mexico)
The Popular Socialist Party is a communist party in Mexico. It was founded in 1948 as the Popular Party by Vicente Lombardo Toledano....
, the SNTMMSRM joined these new organizations. The unions of railroad workers (STFRM) and oil workers (STPRM) also supported Lombardo Toledano.
The ruling Institutional Revolutionary Party
Institutional Revolutionary Party
The Institutional Revolutionary Party is a Mexican political party that held power in the country—under a succession of names—for more than 70 years. The PRI is a member of the Socialist International, as is the rival Party of the Democratic Revolution , making Mexico one of the few...
(PRI) and the CTM saw Lombardo Toledano and these unions as a threat, and in the 1950 the government installed charros
Charro (Mexican politics)
In Mexican politics and labor, a charro or líder charro is a government-appointed union boss.Mexico has a long tradition of government control and cooptation of unions and their leaders...
(corrupt labor bosses) in the leadership of the SNTMMSRM. The most important of these charros was Napoleón Gómez Sada, who was the president of the SNTMMSRM for decades until he was replaced by his son in 2001.
The pro-government SNTMMSRM leaders faced little opposition from the miners' locals (except for Local 65 in Cananea
Cananea
-Economy:Mining is the main source of revenue for Cananea and will be for the foreseeable future. Eighty percent of the population is directly or indirectly supported by mining companies in Cananea. The first and most important mining company is Mexicana de Cananea, S.A. de C.V. owned by and...
, Sonora
Sonora
Sonora officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Sonora is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 72 municipalities; the capital city is Hermosillo....
). However, a strong reform campaign was initiated in the 1970s and 1980s by steelworkers' locals.
The current leader of the SNTMMSRM is Napoleón Gómez Urrutia, son of the long-time union president. Gómez Urrutia is today living in exile in Canada, where he fled after being accused of fraud by Mexican authorities. Deemed innocent by his supporters and re-elected to a six-year term in May 2008, Gómez Urrutia has organized the union remotely from Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
, British Columbia, since 2006."
Further reading
- Raul Trejo Delarbe and Anibal Yanez, "The Mexican Labor Movement: 1917-1975," Latin American Perspectives, Vol. 3, No. 1 (Winter, 1976), 133-153.
- Ian Roxborough and Ilan Izberg, "Union Locals in Mexico: The 'New Unionism' in Steel and Automobiles," Journal of Latin American Studies, Vol. 15, No. 1 (May 1983), 119-126.
- Adrian A. Bantjes, As If Jesus Walked on Earth: Cardenismo, Sonora, and the Mexican Revolution (Wilmington, DE: Scholarly Resources, 1998). ISBN 0-8420-2653-3
- Michael Snodgrass, Deference and Defiance in Monterrey: Workers, Paternalism, and Revolution in Mexico, 1890-1950 (Cambridge University Press, 2003)
- M. Snodgrass, “‘New Rules for the Unions’: Mexico’s Steel Workers Confront Privatization and the Neoliberal Challenge,” Labor: Working-Class History of the Americas 4 (Fall 2007), 81-103.