About 80 retired workers from Mexico’s Federal Electricity Commission (CFE) gathered Saturday afternoon at Mexicali’s Plaza de Los Tres Poderes to protest a new law capping public sector pensions. The demonstration marked one year since a much larger rally at the same location drew roughly 4,000 people against Baja California Governor Marina del Pilar Ávila Olmeda.
The sharp drop in turnout, from thousands to dozens, came despite the protesters’ message remaining largely the same. Retiree Gloria Bermejo told attendees that the group opposes a recently approved constitutional reform to Article 127 that caps public pensions at the level of the president’s salary, roughly 70,000 pesos per month (about $3,600 USD).
What the Pension Cap Law Changes
The reform, promoted by President Claudia Sheinbaum and approved by state and federal legislators in recent weeks, targets so-called “golden pensions.” These are retirement benefits that exceed the president’s monthly salary. The law directly affects long-tenured CFE workers who negotiated higher retirement packages through collective bargaining over decades of service.
Bermejo argued the change was rushed through without adequate public debate. She warned that the pension ceiling could eventually extend beyond CFE and Pemex retirees to affect teachers, healthcare workers, and other government employees.
Protests Nationwide, Legal Challenges Filed
The Mexicali protest is part of a broader national movement. Since mid-April, CFE and Pemex retirees across Mexico have held demonstrations in cities including Tampico, Veracruz, Tabasco, and San Luis Potosí. Some retirees have filed amparo lawsuits, a form of constitutional injunction, seeking to block the reform’s application to their benefits. Courts have so far dismissed several of those legal challenges, ruling them inappropriate against a constitutional amendment.
The pension reform sits within a wider landscape of labor tensions in Mexico. Teachers affiliated with the CNTE launched a major strike in May 2025 over related pension and labor grievances, temporarily shutting down parts of Mexico City.
Declining Momentum in Mexicali
The 2025 rally at the same Mexicali plaza had drawn significant attention as a rare public challenge to the Morena party’s dominance in Baja California. Saturday’s turnout of roughly 80 people, a 98% decline, points to difficulty sustaining political opposition on the issue locally.
The Plaza de Los Tres Poderes sits in Mexicali’s civic center district, near the state government buildings. The protest remained peaceful throughout the afternoon.
This story was first reported by The Baja Post.