Blockade

[Wm_Elliot]

Like I didn't need more reasons to dislike labor unions....
Mex 186 was blockaded today. Traffic on this only route between Palenque and points east was barricaded causing a huge backup that was still going strong after our 90 minute wait.
Ambulances, elderly folks, everyone was prohibited from passing through. I saw buses turn around, leaving passengers hauling their luggage forward to an uncertain destination.
They might still be there, we gave up and returned, we'll try again tomorrow.

[crandle]

Regardless of nationality, our children are our greatest asset, bar none. I think we can agree on this. We turn them over to the education system of our respective country expecting them to exit as developing, educated young adults. But when teachers ask for the tools necessary to accomplish this, we put them down and dump on their associations. Go figure.

Wm. Elliot, you dislike Unions. I dislike people who dislike Unions. Let's leave that aside and think about the kids whose future depends on a decent education.

I support Teachers in my country, in your country and in Mexico. A few minutes or even hours, waiting at a demonstration to help them gain what they need is a small price to pay.

[silversand]

...that great photos of the CNC marchers in Mexico DF that RichieC posted was for National Farmers Federation --the image in the placards appears to be a drawing of Graciano Sanchez (co-founder of the CNC in 1938, and the National Peasant Confederation in 1933).

[Wm_Elliot]

Sorry, I must have deleted that part of the post before sending it. The protestors were mostly all females, signs despite my poor Spanish referred to school/education issues.
There have been other recent similar protests in the area (Chiapas) by school teacher unions - including one between San Crisobal and Palenque...
Link on former protests: poke here

From the link "Teachers from the National Coordinating Committee of Education Workers (CNTE) increased their demonstrations in the states of Michoacán, Quintana Roo, Veracruz, Chiapas, Tabasco and Zacatecas, occupying municipal government headquarters and highways, as well as facilities of these states. "

[crandle]

Wm.Elliot wrote:
Like I didn't need more reasons to dislike labor unions....
Mex 186 was blockaded today. Traffic on this only route between Palenque and points east was barricaded causing a huge backup that was still going strong after our 90 minute wait.
Ambulances, elderly folks, everyone was prohibited from passing through. I saw buses turn around, leaving passengers hauling their luggage forward to an uncertain destination.
They might still be there, we gave up and returned, we'll try again tomorrow.

Wm.Elliot: Here is the first post, please highlight where you mentioned the nature of the protest.

[Wm_Elliot]

briansue wrote:
I'm still wondering exactly what the blockade had to do with unions?

Unionized school teachers. It's in the first post.

[crandle]

We were once held up by a demonstration where teachers had taken over a toll booth. Traffic was backed up but was being let through after the teachers explained their grievance to each driver. We eventually got to the front and when they saw our Canadian plates they waved us through. Instead I stopped and offered them 200 pesos (less than the toll I would have paid) for their donation box. They were very pleased and practiced their English by giving us a brief explanation of their problems. I forget the specifics but it was the same Problem Canadian teachers had, class size or something.

As we drove on we noticed the Federali patrol cars were making u-turns before they came in sight of the toll booth, I guess what they could not see they did not have to report or become involved in. It was their way of showing support and letting the teachers have their say. I wish the police in Canada were near as understanding.

[Francesca_Knowl]

briansue wrote:
I'm still wondering exactly what the blockade had to do with unions?

Likely nothing at all.

The O.P. used the small "u" when referring to the "union" that had so inconvenienced his drive to wherever he was going. The "u" word is used to describe any attempts at solidarity-of-interest that tend to interfere with the comfort zones of The Powers That Be.

My own Grandfather came home from France after having been gassed in WWI to meet the same accusations of "interfering with the flow of business" when he went to Washington to attempt to gain the pitifully small "bonus" that he and all veterans had been promised in return for having served so valiantly in that War.

He was not only denied, he was beaten and driven out of Washington D. C. as being "unpatriotic". A seminal moment in American History- read all about it at this link.

Not missing the lesson of the danger of allowing small people to gather and unite, there followed a century of demonization of such efforts. The success of the respinning thereof cannot be better illustrated than by the O.P's bland characterization of this small event along a Mexican highway as somehow justifiably despicable because it had some sort of "union" taint to the observer.

That is sad.

It's heartening to me to think that the spirit that brings small folks together to enforce their birthrights is still alive somewhere in the Americas; and I salute those folks in Mexico that may be the last embodiment of the same.

[iguana07]

two years ago we were confronted with a union blockade entering the city of Santa Clara del Cobre it was the teachers union they had cut down some trees and used them for the blockade. The Federales were there but not interfering. Two days later there must have been some sort of settlement, the blockade was removed but the Federales were still there stopping vehicles as a check point. People of the town loss lots of business it hurt more I imagine than it helped.

Third World? Probably not the cities. Unless you start looking at the barrios outside of some cities like Mexico City where squatters live or exist. Homes in rural areas that have no running water living on dirt floors. Not everywhere in Mexico but in enough places for me to consider it.

On a separate note: just purchased a new car today that said 20% of its parts are from Mexico and assembled in Hermosillo.

[briansue]

I'm still wondering exactly what the blockade had to do with unions?

[Wm_Elliot]

This is a forum for Mexico travel. I commented upon a blockade that we encountered. I have never written a post critical of Mexico, nor do I hope Mexico becomes like the US. I am a visitor here and remember that at all times.
I did not examine the ambulance. It had lights and siren on. The protestors did not allow the ambulance to pass the blockade, but it did get shunted off to a side road.
No one else got through. Buses dumped the passengers, who hauled their luggage to the front of the blockade. Who knows what happened to them or the other souls affected by the blockade.
I never commented upon any hardship or loss we faced as tourists here, just a report on what I encountered.
It's discouraging to read armchair virtual travelers getting so stoked up on a report from the field.

[MEXICOWANDERER]

Those who want this country to be "just like the USA" would make this world a much poorer place...

[bighatnohorse]

MEXICOWANDERER wrote:
Why is this even an issue? Demonstrators have occasionally blocked entire downtown sections of Mexico for days and hold rallies on the zocalo.
The only thing THIRD WORLD about Mexico, are some of its visitors...

We had flown into Mexico City.
We picked up a taxi at the airport. As the taxi approached downtown Mexico City he was blocked by barricades.
The driver could not deliver us to our downtown hotel.

He did the best he could, got us into metro downtown and dropped us off.
So there we were, bewildered tourists toting luggage and looking lost in downtown Mexico City.
A mob of marchers blocked our path to our hotel.

Massive protest marches had closed the streets.
Every ten minutes or so a cannon shot (probably a sail boat starter cannon) fired off, echoing through the tall buildings.

I studied the faces of the marchers as they passed.
And realized that these were mom's, dad's and regular working folk.
They were people that I would probably enjoy meeting and might even march with them given the opportunity.

I pulled out my camera and took a few photos, told my wife to get ready, and when a break appeared between the parading marches, we towed our luggage across the street and down to our hotel.

[MEXICOWANDERER]

Allow me to be more blunt...

How is/was the road closure attributed to a sindicado? Which "union" near Palenque would close a highway? A teacher's union strike would be expected to block access or areas of Palenque Town.

Sounds more like regional protest than a union demonstration. Were there signs? Like PRD, or PT. being waved?

[Francesca_Knowl]

janstey58 wrote:
Take a chill pill Francesco, enough said.

I'm cool...it's Moishe that's gettin' all hot and bothered! :B