In Latin America, railroad workers in Argentina protest privatization plans, while immigrants from various countries march towards the US border from Mexico. In the United States, grocery workers in Brainerd Lakes, Minnesota, go on a four-day strike for better pay and benefits.
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Latin America
Argentina Railroad workers protest privatization plans
On Friday, December 22, railroad workers of the Roca rail line protested in the main hall of one of the main rail station terminals in the city of Buenos Aires, Constitution Square (Plaza Constitución). Scores of passengers at the station quickly joined this spontaneous action—organized through social media in a couple of hours—denouncing the Milei administration’s plans to privatize the state-owned railroads.
Following a nationally televised speech by President Milei last Wednesday, there have been a series of mass protests by workers across Argentina, at the initiative of the rank-and-file workers employed by state-owned enterprises threatened with privatization.
In addition to Buenos Aires, there have been protests in other major cities, including La Plata, Rosario, Córdoba, Río Negro, Mendoza, Jujuy, Mar del Plata, Morón, Laferrere and San Miguel, in defiance of government threats.
Argentine railroads were nationalized, with compensation, in 1948 by General Juan Perón under pressure from the railroad workers.
In defiance of Mexican authorities, immigrants head to the US from Southern Mexico
More than 10,000 immigrants are now heading toward the US border from Mexico’s southern border city of Tapachula. Among the marchers are many families and unaccompanied youth, from Venezuela, Honduras and 22 other Latin American, Asian and African nations. The marchers are escaping prevailing violence and poverty in the countries that they come from.
A poster at the head of the march reads “Exodus from Poverty,” with the marchers repudiating Mexico’s Cerrazón policy that denies them transit permits to reach the United States. Since last September, Mexican authorities have denied transit permits, forcing them to remain in Tapachula, on the Guatemala-Mexico border.
In addition to the delays, many marchers denounced the corruption of Mexican officials, selling transit permits and mistreating immigrants.
The immigrant march, which is the largest this year, began on Christmas Eve.
At dawn on Christmas Day, after spending night hours in the city of Álvaro Obregón, the marchers resumed their trek.
United States
Four-day strike at Brainerd Lakes, Minnesota area grocery stores
On December 22, some 500 grocery workers around Brainerd Lakes, Minnesota, launched a four-day strike to protest lack of progress in negotiations for a new contract. The members of United Food and Commercial Workers Local 663 walked out at Cub Foods, SuperValu and Super One Foods stores in Brainerd, Baxter, Crosby and Pequot Lakes.
Grocery workers in Brainerd, Minnesota picket [Photo: UFCW Local 663]
The workers are seeking improved pay and benefits. They have been without a contract since December 3. “It was a last resort for us to be out here, but we felt this would be a good time to do it,” one striking worker told CMS New Minnesota.
The strike is being called an Unfair Labor Practice strike.