Introduction
The affiliation of over a million members of the National Union of Education Workers (SNTE) with Morena showcases labor leaders’ interest in appearing close to this party and the government. While analysts debate whether Morena desires a union arm, they agree that labor leaders have presented various approaches to relating with Morena, ranging from the obsequious to those maintaining a certain distance but willing to collaborate.
Morena’s Massive Affiliation Campaign
Following her presidency of Morena’s National Executive Committee in September 2025, Luisa María Alcalde Luján announced a massive affiliation and credentialization campaign, targeting at least 10 million people and establishing a Morena committee in each of Mexico’s 71,541 electoral sections. As of January 14, 2026, Morena reported 11,508,758 validated affiliations by the National Electoral Institute (INE), making it the political institute with the most members in Mexico’s history.
Key Players: SNTE and Morena
The SNTE, with its 2.5 million members, has contributed to Morena’s affiliation drive. SNTE’s national leader, Alfonso Cepeda Salas, announced his membership in Morena due to his position as a plurinominal senator and his belief that the magisterium would receive preferential treatment under the Fourth Transformation. Morena provided the SNTE with 6,000 electronic tablets for teacher affiliation, which many viewed as a strategy for mass enrollment.
Cepeda Salas recently reported that approximately one million teachers have joined Morena. However, his statements have faced criticism due to Morena’s statutes prohibiting corporate affiliation and the Mexican General Law of Political Parties, which reserves partisan membership exclusively to Mexican citizens.
Early Adopters: CATEM and Mineros
The relationship between Morena and labor leaders began during the previous administration, with some central labor organizations aligning with Morena even before the 2018 elections. Notable examples include Pedro Haces Barba, CATEM’s general secretary, and Napoleón Gómez Urrutia, STMMSSRM’s general secretary, who both hold known priista pasts and now serve as plurinominal senators.
The Allure of the Red Color
During President Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s tenure, prominent labor leaders from the PRI sector have approached Morena. Isaías González Cuevas, CROC’s general secretary, announced discussions with Morena to join their ranks. Similarly, Luis Ricardo Aldana Prieto, STPRM’s general secretary, declared support for Claudia Sheinbaum during her presidential campaign.
UNT: Maintaining Distance
The Unión Nacional de Trabajadores (UNT), which identified as non-PRI during the late priista governments and democratic transition period (2000-2018), has not explicitly aligned with Morena. However, UNT leaders have participated in meetings with Claudia Sheinbaum, the then-coordinadora of the Defense of the Fourth Transformation.
Diverse Leadership Styles
According to José Alfonso Bouzas Ortiz, an UNAM economic research institute investigator, corporative and non-corporative labor leaders aim to remain relevant in the national political scene. He notes that while some leaders, like Napoleón Gómez Urrutia, have maintained long-standing relationships with various political colors, others seek a space within Morena.
Jorge Sales Boyoli, a labor law specialist, agrees that Mexico’s labor organizations are undergoing a political reconfiguration and atomization. He observes that some unions have clearly joined Morena, similar to CTM’s PRI alignment, while others maintain distance or exhibit pragmatic collaboration with the governing party.
Implications for Morena
Both Bouzas Ortiz and Sales Boyoli emphasize that Morena should undergo a purging process to review its membership, particularly plurinominal representatives like Pedro Haces and Napoleón Gómez Urrutia, whose affiliation contradicts Morena’s principles.
Morena may benefit from a labor sector within its ranks to construct a new hegemonic regime, as history demonstrates the necessity of a robust union arm for such endeavors. However, Morena should avoid replicating the PRI’s labor practices, which have been a point of criticism.
Key Questions and Answers
- Q: What is the significance of SNTE’s affiliation with Morena?
- Q: How has Morena’s affiliation campaign progressed?
- Q: Which labor leaders have shown support for Morena?
- Q: How has UNT positioned itself relative to Morena?
- Q: What are the implications of diverse labor leadership styles for Morena?
A: SNTE’s one million members joining Morena reflects labor leaders’ interest in appearing close to the party and government.
A: Morena has successfully enrolled 11.5 million members, averaging 26,188 daily affiliations across Mexico’s 32 entities.
A: Leaders such as Alfonso Cepeda Salas (SNTE), Pedro Haces Barba (CATEM), and Napoleón Gómez Urrutia (STMMSSRM) have expressed support for Morena and the current government.
A: UNT has maintained a neutral stance, participating in meetings with Claudia Sheinbaum but not explicitly aligning with Morena.
A: Morena should review its membership, particularly plurinominal representatives, to ensure alignment with its principles and avoid replicating the PRI’s labor practices.
