On 3 January 2001 Kukdong International Mexico dismissed five supervisory workers who were leading a drive to replace the company-favoured CROC union, and on 9 January hundreds of workers began a work stoppage, occupying the patio between the factory and its perimeter fence. On 11 January several hundred riot police entered the compound under a court order and forced the workers out; the Worker Rights Consortium recorded reports of beatings and two serious injuries. A conciliation agreement of 13 January to reinstate all workers without discrimination was not honoured at first, and workers who returned were made to sign loyalty statements to the CROC. After an international campaign, most workers returned from mid-February 2001 and by September 2001 they had established an independent union and signed a collective agreement with the company, renamed Mex Mode.