Mexican auto parts workers at VU Manufacturing formed an independent union in 2022 called the Mexican Workers League after years of company-friendly representation. In retaliation, the company shut down operations over the next year, leaving 400 workers jobless without severance pay. The local business community has reportedly instituted a blacklist against hiring any former VU workers. This case poses a challenge to new labor protections in the USMCA as companies try to discourage independent unionization. Blacklisted workers have struggled to find new jobs in the region. Auto parts from VU went to major automakers in the US and Mexico. Transnational solidarity between auto workers on both sides aims to improve conditions for all.

A protest is planned at VU’s US headquarters to demand severance pay and an end to the blacklist against workers organizing independently in Mexico.