At a time of uncertainty over the fate of the North American Free Trade Agreement, what does it feel like to work in a manufacturing plant in Mexico, where a surge of American companies have taken advantage of low labor costs?
This year, we followed a group of steelworkers in Indianapolis whose jobs were moving to Monterrey, Mexico, as discontent simmered in the American Rust Belt over the loss of blue-collar jobs.
In the wake of the article’s publication, and as tensions rose over attempts to renegotiate Nafta, we sought out perspectives on globalization from readers who had worked in the manufacturing industry in Mexico. We asked them what they would tell American workers if they could.
When Nafta was passed nearly 24 years ago, the trade deal marked a major milestone for globalization. It greatly expanded the number of assembly plants in Mexico known as maquiladoras, which import parts duty-free and send finished products back across the border. Today, Mexico’s maquiladora industry is far more sophisticated and global than when Nafta began.
In response to our queries, we received over 200 responses from readers. They ranged from expressions of solidarity — “We are not your enemy, but your brother in arms,” one wrote — to anger at being demonized for merely trying to make a living
