Anti-union practices in Mexico in the context of the USMCA

This work analyzes the contemporary dynamics of labor control in Mexico; it goes beyond a mere description of labor disputes and focuses on revealing that the Mexican union system operates not by design, but by default.

That is why the phenomenon of anti-union practices is much more than isolated actions by employers; it is, in essence, an organized effort that utilizes the structure of the state, corporate complicity, and the participation of corporate unions to strengthen a network of protection, corruption, and institutional complicity aimed at erasing the independent and democratic struggle of workers in Mexico.

The book identifies the actors behind these anti-union practices through the metaphor of the “three-headed monster”—the state, corporations, and corporate unions—a figure that illustrates the oppression faced by the independent labor movement, which is forced to fight not only against employers but also against institutional harassment by the state

The work seeks to amplify the voices of Mexican workers who fight every day for respect for their labor rights and access to a dignified life. Finally, it advances a challenging hypothesis: the possible emergence of a “fourth head” —organized crime— which may form alliances with corporate unions to impose violent control over the labor force. This unsettling prospect opens new lines of inquiry at the intersection of labor and criminal analysis, potentially exposing one of the darkest facets of Mexican corporatism.