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Mexican Government Could Face Fine for Violation of Workers' Rights

Jan. 12, 2000

Flight attendants are charging that Mexican airliner, TAESA, committed numerous violations of workers' rights and the Mexican government failed to uphold its responsibities regarding the NAFTA labor side agreement.

EHS Today Staff

The Association of Flight Attendants (AFA), AFL-CIO, applauded a decision by the National Administrative Office (NAO) to review charges that Mexican airliner, TAESA, committed numerous violations of workers' rights and that the Mexican government failed to uphold its obligations under NAFTA's labor side agreement.

TAESA fired nearly 100 flight attendants following their vote to join ASSA, Mexico's largest flight attendant union.

According to AFA, TAESA endangered workers by forcing them to fly beyond the maximum hours allowed by law and by refusing to compensate flight attendants for working overtime.

TAESA flight attendants are also charging that the airline flew planes with overwhelming number of safety problems.

Flight attendants at TAESA documented numerous safety violations aboard TAESA jets, including the one that crashed in November of 1999 in Urupan killing 13 passengers and five crew members, according to AFA.

The NAO has 120 days to review the charges and issue a public report.

AFA is urging the NAO to hold a public hearing on TAESA's treatment of flight attendants and the Mexican government's approach to the airlines abuses.

At the end of the process, Mexico could be subject to fines of up to $50 million and TAESA could face economic sanctions.

About the Author

EHS Today Staff

EHS Today's editorial staff includes:

Dave Blanchard, Editor-in-Chief: During his career Dave has led the editorial management of many of Endeavor Business Media's best-known brands, including IndustryWeek, EHS Today, Material Handling & Logistics, Logistics Today, Supply Chain Technology News, and Business Finance. In addition, he serves as senior content director of the annual Safety Leadership Conference. With over 30 years of B2B media experience, Dave literally wrote the book on supply chain management, Supply Chain Management Best Practices (John Wiley & Sons, 2021), which has been translated into several languages and is currently in its third edition. He is a frequent speaker and moderator at major trade shows and conferences, and has won numerous awards for writing and editing. He is a voting member of the jury of the Logistics Hall of Fame, and is a graduate of Northern Illinois University.

Adrienne Selko, Senior Editor: In addition to her roles with EHS Today and the Safety Leadership Conference, Adrienne is also a senior editor at IndustryWeek and has written about many topics, with her current focus on workforce development strategies. She is also a senior editor at Material Handling & Logistics. Previously she was in corporate communications at a medical manufacturing company as well as a large regional bank. She is the author of Do I Have to Wear Garlic Around My Neck?, which made the Cleveland Plain Dealer's best sellers list.

Nicole Stempak, Managing Editor: Nicole Stempak is managing editor of EHS Today and conference content manager of the Safety Leadership Conference.