In Mexico City, an employer got a union's permission last week to fire 5,000 of its 23,000 members. The employer was ramrod-backed Antonio Bermúdez, boss of Pemex, Mexico's Government oil monopoly. The union was the Mexican Petroleum Workers' Syndicate, until recently one of the fastest-striking labor organizations in Mexico.
Bermúdez' extraordinary action went back to one day last December, when, hot-tempered Union Boss Jorge Ortega tossed one of his lightning strikes at the new Alemán Government. Unlike its predecessors, the Alemán Government struck right back. Soldiers rode gas trucks, broke the strike. A more compliant leader took Ortega's place. But...
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