Guatemala: Workers at Last Maquila Union Shop Demand Justice

The last unionized maquiladora in Guatemala has closed but a handful of union activists are demanding justice, including full back pay and severance, relocation to other jobs, and an end to blacklisting.

Hundreds of workers at the Choishin factory desperate to make ends meet were pressured this fall into settlements that are less than required by law. An investigation by the Fair Labor Association (FLA) concurred that workers are legally entitled to 100% of their severance but the FLA then accepted a controversial position that workers can sign away their rights and settle for less than the law requires. USLEAP consulted with both the Commission for the Verification of Codes of Conduct and the Worker Rights Consortium, both of whom disagreed with the FLA analysis, citing Guatemalan law.

Liz Claiborne, a FLA participating company with which USLEAP is engaged on this issue, has been a long-time customer of Choishin; its intervention helped secure additional severance for some workers but the union reports that over 100 workers are demanding that which they are legally entitled to. Meanwhile, Choishin customers Macy's and Ralph Polo Lauren have refused to respond to USLEAP requests for intervention.