MISSION MEXICO CONTINUES TO MONTIOR MURDER OF

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 MEXICO 002254 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPT FOR DRL/AWH AND ILCSR, WHA/MEX AND PPC, USDOL FOR ILAB E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ECON ELAB KFRD PGOV PHUM PINR CVIS MX SUBJECT: MISSION MEXICO CONTINUES TO MONTIOR MURDER OF LABOR ORGANIZER REF: MONTERREY 0430 (NOTAL) ¶1. SUMMARY: Mission Mexico personnel have continued their efforts to monitor the situation surrounding the recent murder in Monterrey of agricultural worker labor union organizer Santiago Rafael Cruz. Embassy Mexico City,s Labor Counselor and AmConsul Monterrey,s Pol/Econ Officer visited the FLOC (Farm Labor Organizing Committee, AFL-CIO) offices and met with US and Mexican union representatives the week of 4/30 ) 5/4 to convey the USG,s interest in this case. The FLOC representatives reiterated the union,s belief that Rafael was murdered because of his organizing activities but had no real idea as to who might have ordered his death. They also outlined the latest efforts to press for a full investigation into the slaying of their colleague. In addition, the two officials also talked generally about the FLOC,s successes in obtaining improved working conditions for farm laborers. Throughout the meeting both FLOC officials expressed their organization,s deep appreciation for AmConsul Monterrey,s quick reaction and for Mission Mexico,s sustained support as the union continues pressing to learn what really happened to the murdered labor organizer. FLOC and USG efforts notwithstanding, it is still an open question as to whether the murder of Santiago Rafael Cruz will ever be resolved. END SUMMARY. BACKGROUND -------------- ¶2. On April 9, 2007 Santiago Rafael Cruz, a farm worker labor organizer employed by the Farm Labor Organizing Committee, AFL-CIO (FLOC),was found beaten to death in the union,s offices in Monterrey, Mexico. Rafael,s job at the FLOC office was primarily to advise farm laborers about legal employment opportunities in the US with a focus on the H2A "guest workers" program. As a FLOC employee Rafael also investigated alleged abuses in labor recruiting agencies and helped farm workers resolve grievances arising from their employment conditions in the US. Although there is no conclusive evidence linking anyone to the murder of Santiago Rafael, the FLOC is convinced that he was murdered because its organizing activities angered various labor recruiting agencies and agricultural interests. The FLOC, and the broader AFL-CIO, considers Rafael,s murder to be both a human and labor rights issue. ¶3. In pursuing this matter the FLOC has met with labor figures, business interests, government officials and elected representatives in both Mexico and the US (Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur, D-OH is particularly interested in this case) to press for a full investigation of Rafael,s murder. AmConsul Monterrey has worked closely with the FLOC, supporting their calls for a thorough inquiry into this crime and has met with the highest levels of both state and local authorities to express the USG,s interest in resolving this case. Consulate personnel in Monterrey have also fielded a considerable number of inquiries on this matter both from the public and from US and Mexican media outlets. Thus far it appears that state and local authorities have been open and honest in keeping AmConsul Monterrey abreast of the developments of their ongoing investigation into the murder of Santiago Rafael but there seems to be little real progress. Monterrey is also now working closely with the FLOC, local authorities and even labor recruiters to combat any abuse or irregularities that may be surrounding the H2A &guest workers8 program. EXPRESSING THE USG,S CONTINUING INTEREST -------------- ¶4. As a follow-up to the ongoing USG actions reported in Reftel, on May 2, Embassy Mexico City,s Labor Counselor and AmConsul Monterrey,s Pol/Econ Officer called on the offices of the FLOC to express Mission Mexico,s continuing concern over the murder of labor organizer Santiago Rafael Cruz and request an update on the union,s latest efforts in this matters. Mission personnel were received by the FLOC,s main Representative in Monterrey, Castulo Benavides Rodriguez, and by Ken Barger, a union Community Organizer visiting from the US. Benavides and Barger were unequivocal in expressing the FLOC,s sincere thanks for AmConsul Monterrey,s quick reaction in this situation and for Mission Mexico,s sustained support as the union continues to push for a full and complete investigation into what really happened to their murdered colleague. MEXICO 00002254 002 OF 003 FLOC OFFICIAL DISCUSS THE MURDER -------------- ¶5. According to the two FLOC officials, the union was doing all it could to press Monterrey area state and local authorities to consider every possible facets of the case in order to learn the truth about exactly what happened to Santiago Rafael. The union, they said, was not just interested in who actually killed the labor organizer, it also wanted to know, and ultimately hold accountable, whoever might be responsible for ordering the death of Santiago Rafael. In fact, the union officials stated, as a part of the ongoing effort to find out what happened to the murdered labor organizer, FLOC Union President Baldemar Velasquez was en route to Mexico City that very day (May 2) to meet with federal GOM (law enforcement/public security) officials to discuss the status of the case. They also indicated that the FLOC Monterrey office was in the process of reviewing/implementing a series of physical safety measures and upgrades to better control access and improve the security of union staff. ¶6. In response to direct questions from Mission Mexico personnel the FLOC officials indicated that they had no new information on the circumstances surround the slaying of Santiago Rafael. Again, in response to a direct question, they also admitted that they had received no direct threats or warnings about their union organizing activities prior to Rafael,s death. They also indicated that they had no real idea of who might be responsible for the murder. This lack of any clear idea of who might ultimately be responsible for Rafael,s murder notwithstanding, the FLOC officials underscored the union,s strong belief that their colleague had been killed because of his labor organizing activities. ¶7. The two officials voiced dissatisfaction with the current direction of the police investigation into Rafael,s death. Unfortunately, the FLOC officials intimated, the police appear to have pre-judged this case and concluded that Rafael,s murder was the result of some type of personal dispute (i.e., a jealous rival or the parents of girl who disapproved of him dating their daughter). Consequently, in FLOC,s view, the police have settled on this preconceived conclusion to the near exclusion of any other possible motive for Rafael,s murder. FLOC OFFICIALS STATE THE UNION WILL NOT BE DETERRED -------------- -------------- ¶8. In addition to discussing their views on the status of Santiago Rafael,s murder investigation, the two FLOC officials also spoke generally about the union,s overall goals and activities. They explained that the aim of FLOC,s activities was to provide advice and assistance to farm laborers to facilitate (preferably?) legal employment in the US. As proof of the union,s effectiveness they cited two FLOC successes (one actually and one potentially) that were significantly improving conditions for farm laborers. The first of these was a 2004 agreement with the &North Carolina Growers Association8 to represent some 7,000 - 10,000 workers who annually travel to the state to harvest crops and establishes a system for resolving labor disputes. ¶9. The second FLOC success, with potentially greater consequences, was a recent ruling by a US Federal judge in North Carolina which eliminated fees charged by labor recruiters to find jobs in the US for farm laborers. According to the FLOC officials, the basis of the ruling was that it was illegal to charge farm workers (as many labor recruiters frequently do) for services such as visa processing, transportation and administrative overhead, which had already been paid for by employers/growers in the US. The FLOC officials indicated that the union hoped to use the ruling in North Carolina as the basis for expanding similar benefits to farm laborers in states like Kentucky, Florida, Texas, California and others. The FLOC officials did not specifically state what progress the union has made to date in expanding the benefits of the North Carolina ruling to places outside of that specific state. They did, however, opine that the North Carolina ruling was costing labor recruiters some USD 2 million per year in lost fees and speculated that this loss of revenue could be a possible motive for the murder of Santiago Rafael. MEXICO 00002254 003 OF 003 ¶10. In the discussion of the FLOC,s overall program initiatives Labor Counselor asked if the union had considered coordinating its activities with those of the GOM,s Labor Secretariat (STPS). The FLOC officials indicated that they SIPDIS have had no real contact with Mexican government officials (other than law enforcement officers). Labor Counselor provided the FLOC office with a point of contact in the STPS, specifically that Ministry,s Sub-Secretary for Employment and Labor Policy, one of whose responsibilities was overseeing the smooth (i.e. legal) operation of employment programs. The union officials seemed to conclude that the services of this STPS office could be helpful in disseminating information about FLOC,s programs and might also be a value asset in cracking down on abuse labor recruiters. COMMENT -------------- ¶11. The FLOC officials were clearly not satisfied with the efforts of the Monterrey area police authorities, investigation into the death of labor organizer Santiago Rafael Cruz. In sharp contrast, they seemed very pleased with the proactive support the union has received from Mission Mexico personnel, particular the staff at AmConsul Monterrey. The frustration of the FLOC officials in this unresolved murder case is understandable. Despite its physical proximity to the US and the progress Mexico is making in many social, political and economic areas, some of its institutions are not progressing as well as the Mexicans themselves would like. Police forces often fall into this category. Many admit that police authorities are hampered by (among other serious problems) scant resources and inadequate training. In short, even when there is a real will to find those responsible, owing to institutional limitations, it is an open question as to whether the murder of Santiago Rafael Cruz will ever be solved. ¶12. This message was cleared with AmConsul Monterrey. Visit Mexico City's Classified Web Site at http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/wha/mexicocity and the North American Partnership Blog at http://www.intelink.gov/communities/state/nap / BASSETT