Since July 2007...the National Union of Miners, Metal, and Allied Workers in Cananea, Sonora, has held firm in a strike against Grupo Mexico over contract and safety issues...An inspection...by a delegation of independent Mexican and U.S. occupational health and safety experts discovered large accumulations of deadly dust...police violently removed the strikers...a higher labor court finally came down on the side of the company and [declared the strike illegal] last February 11...The battles involving Mexico's electricians and miners take place amid deteriorating conditions for the country's workers...A major trend accelerated by the crisis is the greater use of temporary labor by employers...the Center for Labor Studies and Action, a labor advocacy group in Ciudad Juarez, also noted a deterioration in working conditions in the border maquiladora industry...[including] the firing of 75 Foxconn [part of Hon Hai] workers after a February 18 protest...[also refers to Manpower, Asarco (part of Grupo Mexico)]