Retired federal workers from across Baja California gathered outside a school inauguration in Tijuana on Saturday to confront President Claudia Sheinbaum over pension cuts of 30 to 60 percent. The protesters, members of the Alianza para la Defensa de la Pensión y Patrimonio de Baja California, demanded she reverse a reform to Article 127 of the constitution that caps government pensions at roughly 70,000 pesos per month (about $3,500 USD).
The demonstration took place outside CBTis 190 in Colonia Natura, on the outskirts of Tijuana, where Sheinbaum was inaugurating a new technical high school alongside Baja California Governor Marina del Pilar and Education Secretary Mario Delgado. Pensioners from Pemex and CFE (the Federal Electricity Commission) lined the route and spoke to the president through her vehicle window.
Cuts Hit May 1 With No Warning
Dulce Félix Saguchi, a CFE retiree, told reporters the first pension cuts took effect on May 1 with no official notice. “They cut us between 30 and 60 percent, depending on the salary,” she said. The alliance represents more than 90,000 pensioners from federal agencies including Pemex, CFE, and other state entities. The average age of Saturday’s protesters was 75.
One woman appealed directly to Sheinbaum as she arrived. “We want you to give us legal certainty. Our rights were fully earned and legal. We worked 25, 30, or more years. We are from the strategic enterprises of the state, from CFE, from Pemex, those same ones you praise so much,” she said.
Protesters Call Reform Unconstitutional
The alliance argues the reform violates constitutional protections against retroactive application of laws. While the pension cap applies to current and future government employees, retirees say the measure was never meant to touch pensions already being paid under prior agreements. The reform notably excludes military pensions, a point protesters have seized on as evidence of selective enforcement.
Pensioners traveled from all five Baja California municipalities, as well as from San Luis Río Colorado in neighboring Sonora, to join the protest. Some adjustments have reportedly been made to individual pensions since May, but the alliance says legal certainty has not been guaranteed.
Sheinbaum Focused on School Opening
Sheinbaum did not publicly address the pension protest. She focused her brief remarks on education. “Education is a right, not a privilege, and we will keep building more high schools,” she said during the ribbon-cutting ceremony. The president was in Baja California for a three-day working tour that also included stops related to infrastructure and social programs.
The pension cap of 70,000 pesos per month is part of the federal government’s broader austerity agenda, which aims to limit high salaries and benefits across all levels of public service. For long-serving workers at agencies like CFE and Pemex, the cap can represent a dramatic reduction from pensions negotiated under previous collective bargaining agreements.
This story was first reported by Punto Norte and confirmed by Proceso and Reforma.