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Maquiladora Research Paper

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A maquiladora is a manufacturing plant based in Mexico where foreign companies import materials and equipment, on a duty free and tariff free basis, for the purposes of processing, manufacturing, or assembling goods which are then exported to other countries. The idea behind these maquiladoras promises a prosperous Mexican society. On paper, it really does seem like NAFTA is living up to expectations; creation of more jobs and a much less unemployment rate. On the surface, there seems to be nothing wrong with what’s going on in Mexico in terms of employment. Everyone has jobs and everyone is getting paid for these jobs, so what’s the issue? Despite all of this, the degrading and terrible working conditions imposed upon the maquiladora workers …show more content…

In one case, Alma Molina, a worker in the electrical parts industry of Juarez, was laid off from her job after it was discovered that she was associated with other workers who were attempting to organize a union. From that point on, it was very difficult for Molina to find another job because she had been blacklisted by her former employer. [3] Fortunately, organizing campaigns are slowly started to emerge. Jaime Cota of the Workers Information Center in Tijuana says, “While we still have a long way to go, there are now more than 30 different groups trying to organize independent unions in the maquiladoras,” “We're trying to bring all those groups together so we can build a more effective movement.” There are many social issues associated with maquiladoras because of the mistreatments that the workers face on a day to day basis. Often times, maquiladora workers are exposed to dangerous chemicals and machinery with little to no protection. [4] These manufacturing operations are a serious concern to the Mexican society and need to be appropriately addressed by both governments and private companies

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