Mexican border strike nears victory, 44 of 48 plants settle

MEXICO CITY (AP) — A mass strike at assembly plants in a Mexican border city is nearing victory, after 44 of 48 "maquiladora" factories agreed to 20 percent pay increases.

Companies in Matamoros had resisted union demands for raises and a one-time bonus of about $1,685. At its height the strike involved 25,000 workers making less than $1 an hour.

The Industrial Workers and Laborers' Union of Matamoros said Tuesday that since the strike started in mid-January, all but about four plants have settled.

The strike erupted after President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador decreed a doubling of the minimum wage in Mexico's border zones, apparently unaware that some union contracts at the maquiladora plants are indexed to minimum wage increases.

The union wants all employees to get the same raise as the lowest paid.

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