• PROTEST: Hundreds of teachers affiliated with Mexico’s largest teachers union (SNTE) blocked several rail lines in three states of central and southern Mexico, intermittently interrupting the flow of freight trains while demanding union democracy.
• IMPACT: Similar to other protests in western Mexico, the teachers’ protests in the states of Veracruz, Puebla, and Tlaxcala had an impact on freight trains connecting the seaports of Veracruz and Coatzacoalcos. Protestors are contesting upcoming union internal elections later this year.
• THIRD PARTIES: “We respect teachers’ demonstrations as long as they don’t affect third parties. Here they affect the railroad. We will seek appropriate measures. It’s a national phenomenon happening in other states (too)”, said Zenyazen Escobar, Education Minister of Education in the state of Veracruz.
• MEMBERSHIP: Born in Mexico’s post-Revolutionary period (1942), the SNTE had more than 1.6 million members in 2017, according to the union’s most recent numbers. This makes it the largest labor union in Latin America. A separate dissenting union (CNTE) was founded in 1979.
