The Rise and Decline of Labor Unions in Mexico: Political and Institutional Factors

This chapter analyses the main political and institutional factors in Mexico explaining the development and decline of labor unions during the twentieth century. The chapter includes an historical analysis of the main political and economic transitions that created a group of conditions in which organized labor flourished and declined. The corporatist structure and the hegemonic PRI party, merged within the institutional framework, defined the role of labor unions in various spheres. The political system experienced crucial transformations during the last decades of the past century while labor organizations struggled to adapt to this new context. They have survived the democratization and neoliberalization processes, although with diminished power and influence.