Confederation of Mexican Workers
The Confederation of Mexican Workers (Confederacion de Trabajadores Mexicanos) is the dominant trade union in Mexico, currently led by General Secretary Fidel Velasquez. It was founded in 1936 by Fidel Velasquez and Vicente Lombardo Toledano.
Background
Prior to the CTM, the CROM (Confederation of Regional Mexican Workers) was formed in 1918 as the first revolution era major trade union central, between 1924 and 1929 all the major founders of the CTM were involved in the CROM.
In 1929 Fidel Velasquez, Vicente Lombardo Toledano and others would splinter from the CROM to form the Trade Union and Federation of Workers of the Federal District, after publishing a manifesto the 5 founders would expand nationwide incorporating workers from across every industry into their lines.
Around this time began the project to form the CTM, the founders with a decidedly marxist incline would begin approaching unions nationwide while running the TUFWFD in the Capital, 7 years after it´s formation the CTM would be born.
Foundation and current state
In 1936 the CTM was founded as a consign of the Committee of Proletarian Defense, a Trotskyist organization. Barring Fidel Velasquez all the founders of the CTM were Marxists and primarily Trotskyists, from here until 1947 Fidel Velasquez and Toledano fought a constant battle for influence within the union, while the marxist elements were gradually phased out the union only continued to grow rapidly. In 1938 the union would be incorporated officially into the PRM and the Corporatist System. This moment would make it´s luck change from a growing syndicate to the one great union of the nation monopolizing the entire sector.
After the 1940s the CTM formally abandoned most ideological pretense, however their membership since then has only continued to catapult as more unions and organizations join it as their only hope for formal representation. Now in the 1960s it stands as the second most powerful organization in the country only behind the Revolutionary Institutional Party.
Structure
The Confederation of Mexican Workers has a State Federation in each state of the country. In addition to being made up of multiple national industry and trade unions. In turn, each Federation brings together the local unions of each entity. There are also municipal federations that, due to the number of workers they bring together, have this rank.
The union also has representatives in government trough the System of Quotas which guarantees a minimum number of legislators per each corporation in the system.