Gómez and his organization to be recognized for their commitment to defend democratic trade union rights in Mexico amid escalating violations against workers
Napoleón Gómez Urrutia, General Secretary of the National Union of Mine, Metal, Steel and Allied Workers of the Mexican Republic (Sindicato Nacional de Trabajadores Mineros, Metalúrgicos y Similares de la República Méxicana), also known as ‘Los Mineros’, will be awarded the 2011 George Meany-Lane Kirkland Human Rights Award during a ceremony Wednesday, November 16, at the AFL-CIO headquarters in Washington, DC.
AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka will be joined by President Leo Gerard of the United Steel workers in recognizing Gómez’s efforts to fight against repression and support democracy and equality in Mexico. Rep. Linda Sanchez and Rep. Mike Michaud will also speak during the ceremony. Oralia Casso de Gómez, wife of the awardee, will represent her husband and accept the award on his behalf. Gómez Urrutia has been living in exile in Vancouver, Canada, since 2006 after the Mexican government pressed criminal charges against him, charges that Mexican and international human and labor rights organizations have dismissed as false ... more
