FIGHTING THE FREE TRADE NIGHTMARE!

• Support workers’ struggles in “NAFTA’s” Border region
• Help build Global grassroots solidarity and strength against the multinational corporation ALCOA

(Chicago, Nov. 12, 2002) A worker from one of ALCOA’s maquiladora plants on the border, fired for union-organizing, will address workers struggles in Piedras Negras and along the border as well as the pending global campaign against one of the largest metal corporations in the world- ALCOA.

MIDWEST CAMPAIGN TOUR-DECEMBER 3-10, 2002
(We are looking for organizations and individuals interested in hosting and helping to organize a local event on this MidWest tour. Please contact us)

Alcoa, Inc., is the world's largest producer of aluminum.
Headquartered in New York and Pittsburgh, Alcoa has
129,000 employees in 38 countries. Former Mexican
President Ernesto Zedillo was recently named to Alcoa's
Board of Directors, while Paul O'Neill, Alcoa's CEO from
1987 to 2000, left the company to become secretary of the
treasury under George W. Bush. The Alcoa Fujikura Ltd.
Division (AFL)in Mexico, manufactures wire harnesses for Ford,
Volkswagen, Subaru, Harley-Davidson, and other firms.

Alcoa maquiladora operations in Piedras Negras and Ciudad
Acuña employ more than 17,000 production workers.

THE STRUGGLE FOR AN INDEPENDENT UNION

On October 18, Workers at Plant #1 of the Alcoa Fujikura,
Ltd factories in Piedras Negras, Mexico elected a new
democratic union leadership slate called For Unity.

This election victory happened despite the firing of 20
union supporters, including all 5 For Unity leaders and 4
out of 5 sectional committee members of plant #2 on
October 4.

While these elections were for leadership positions within
the current entrenched union, the CTM, Alcoa workers from
both plants have openly expressed their decision to create
a union independent of the CTM. A membership meeting of
plant #2 voted, on April 30 of this year, to file legal
recognition of a new union, and 500 workers signed the
petition.

The recognition of the new union has been fiercely opposed
by Alcoa, the CTM, and the local labor authorities. While
workers inside the two plants continue demanding
independence from the CTM, the fired leaders, who demand
to be reinstated, support the struggle from the outside.

PROGRAM:

• Presentation of the Alcoa Struggle in the context of NAFTA
• Planning Solidarity Actions [Alcoa has offices or production sites
  in 120 cities and towns in the U.S. We can work together to organize actions in your community and close to Alcoa locations]
• Talk about Free Trade Consequences & Continental FTAA campaign
• For unions: Strategy session including networking, campaigning,
  worker-to-worker solidarity, share experiences and advice, etc.

The Mexico Solidarity Network is organizing this visit by the fired ALCOA employee.

The MSN is working in the ALCOA campaign with Campaign for Labor Rights, United Students Against Sweatshops, American Friends Service Committee, US Labor in the Americas Project among other groups.