U.S.-Mexico Talks Urged on Safety Woes at Tijuana Plant

Labor Secretary Alexis M. Herman should meet with her Mexican counterpart to determine why unsafe working conditions persist at a closely watched Tijuana factory despite repeated inspections and fines, a federal agency recommended Tuesday.

So-called ministerial consultations were urged by the National Administrative Office, an arm of the Labor Department that monitors complaints about working conditions in Mexico and Canada under the North American Free Trade Agreement. The meetings on the Han Young truck chassis plant, which has been in the spotlight for months over contested unionizing efforts, would be an early step in a process that could lead to trade sanctions against Mexico.

A 43-page report on the plant, which produces truck parts for Hyundai, said the factory was plagued by contaminated air and strewn with electrical cords running through puddles. Hoists used to lift chassis often gave way, once injuring a worker, employees said.

The report said safety problems remained despite 11 visits by Mexican inspectors since 1993. It said the plant was hit with fines of $9,400, but it was not known whether they had been paid.

Plant managers have defended the operation, saying there has not been a serious accident in five years.

The report lauded Mexico’s overall efforts to improve worker safety but said the Han Young case raised doubts about the efficacy of new measures. It is the administrative office’s second report on Han Young since a San Diego hearing in February. The agency called for consultations in April after concluding that the rights of Han Young workers who organized an independent union had been violated.

Union workers walked out in May but the action was ruled unlawful, and the plant used replacement workers to operate. A Mexican federal judge is weighing whether the strike was legal.