Mexican Consulate Employees In U.S. Can Now Resolve Labor Disputes In Mexico's Federal Courts

The Mexican Supreme Court ruled that employees working in Mexican General Consulates in Chicago, New York City, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, Seattle and other consulates in the U.S. can now move forward and file labor disputes in federal courts.

By H. Nelson Goodson

Hispanic News Network U.S.A.

October 27, 2017

Mexico City, Mexico - On Thursday, Aristegui noticias and Mujeres de Hierro reported that 1,700 employees from multiple General Consulates of Mexico in the U.S. can now move forward and file labor dispute lawsuits in Mexican tribunal federal courts, the Mexican Supreme Court ruled (Appeal Court file - Amparo Directo 3068/2017). The Consulate employees were disputing the unfair labor practices and abuses by the SRE government executives. The employees wanted to secure medical coverage, retirement benefits, salary increases and housing. Also the U.S. by 2021 is expected not to renew work visas for Mexican consulate workers and their families in the U.S., which would then be subject for deportation.

Previously, Armando Sigfrido Martínez Estrada, a former Mexican Consulate employee who was fired without justification after working ten years at various consulates filed a labor dispute lawsuit in Mexico. Martínez Estrada's lawsuit has now set precedence for other employees to follow and file labor dispute claims against the SRE. General Consulate of Mexico in Los Angeles employees had also filed a lawsuit in a U.S. District Court in California over a labor dispute, but the court ruled it had no jurisdiction over a consulate from a foreign country.

Mexico's Foreign Relations Secretary Luis Videgaray (Secretaría de Relaciones en el Exterior - SRE) was named in the Martinez Estrada labor dispute case, but Videgaray claimed that the consulate employees were considered special independent workers, which had no rights to litigate working conditions in Mexico and the SRE removed itself from any liability and claimed that the Mexican Consulate employees working in the U.S. are hired by each consulate. The Mexican Supreme Court found that the SRE hired and paid the employees for the General Consulates of Mexico in the U.S., thus making the SRE the employer and could be sued.

Mexican Consulate employees from Chicago, New York City, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, Seattle and from other consulates in the U.S. can move forward in filing labor dispute cases in Mexico. So far, the SRE and Mexican Consulates in retaliation have changed labor contracts of Mexican national employees from one year to six months including that each consulate now hires the employees under contracts, according to Dulce Flores, the spokeswomen for the Mexican Consulate employees in the U.S.

The Mexican General Consulate employees are represented by the law firm of Romero McGregor & Associates.

Trabajadores de consulados Mexicanos en EEUU ganan amparo por parte the la Corte Suprema de Mexico que reconoce sus derechos laborales https://youtu.be/U1KKFDa53fQ