This article takes the story of Fidel Velázquez Sanchez, supreme leader of the Confederación de Trabajadores de México (CTM) for almost 60 years, to examine the ways in which the study of oral history, memoirs, biographies, as well as speeches and statements made by unionists contributes to make possible a new look at the experiences of workers under Latin American political regimes traditionally labeled as "populists".
unionism; working class; Mexico; populism; corporatism