NAFTA and Labor in North America
NAFTA and Labor in North America

Author: Norman Caulfield

Publisher: University of Illinois Press

Published: 2010-10-01

Total Pages: 266

ISBN-13: 0252090799

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

As companies increasingly look to the global market for capital, cheaper commodities and labor, and lower production costs, the impact on Mexican and American workers and labor unions is significant. National boundaries and the laws of governments that regulate social relations between laborers and management are less relevant in the era of globalization, rendering ineffective the traditional union strategies of pressuring the state for reform. Focusing especially on the effects of the North American Free Trade Agreement and the North American Agreement on Labor Cooperation (the first international labor agreement linked to an international trade agreement), Norman Caulfield notes the waning political influence of trade unions and their disunity and divergence on crucial issues such as labor migration and workers' rights. Comparing the labor movement's fortunes in the 1970s with its current weakened condition, Caulfield notes the parallel decline in the United States' hegemonic influence in an increasingly globalized economy. As a result, organized labor has been transformed from organizations that once pressured management and the state for worker concessions to organizations that now request that workers concede wages, pensions, and health benefits to remain competitive in the global marketplace.

The Children of NAFTA
The Children of NAFTA

Author: David Bacon

Publisher: Univ of California Press

Published: 2004-03

Total Pages: 360

ISBN-13: 0520244729

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

This is a journalistic chronicle of contemporary labor wars and organizing on the United States/Mexican border. Based on gripping firsthand reports, this book investigates the impact of the North American Free Trade Agreement on those who labor in the agricultural fields and maquiladora factories on the border.

The Limits of Regionalism
The Limits of Regionalism

Author: Robert G. Finbow

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2017-11-28

Total Pages: 278

ISBN-13: 1351146149

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Assessing the effectiveness of the North American Agreement on Labour Cooperation (NAALC), this book examines the operation of the core institutions (the Secretariat and National Administrative Offices) over the past seven years. It discusses the main functions of these institutions in hearing public submissions on violations of labour laws and in conducting research and cooperative activities. Based on interview research, the analysis reviews the strengths and weaknesses of the accord to assess its contribution to a common labour relations regime in North America and its impact in creating new transnational communities of actors in government and civil society in the three countries. The NAALC is also compared with the social dimension of the European Union system, and a final assessment is made as to whether the NAALC institutions live up to the promises of their founders and whether these can be a model for labour relations in any future Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) agreement.

Consuming Mexican Labor
Consuming Mexican Labor

Author: Ronald Mize

Publisher: University of Toronto Press

Published: 2010-10-15

Total Pages: 304

ISBN-13: 1442604093

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Mexican migration to the United States and Canada is a highly contentious issue in the eyes of many North Americans, and every generation seems to construct the northward flow of labor as a brand new social problem. The history of Mexican labor migration to the United States, from the Bracero Program (1942-1964) to the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), suggests that Mexicans have been actively encouraged to migrate northward when labor markets are in short supply, only to be turned back during economic downturns. In this timely book, Mize and Swords dissect the social relations that define how corporations, consumers, and states involve Mexican immigrant laborers in the politics of production and consumption. The result is a comprehensive and contemporary look at the increasingly important role that Mexican immigrants play in the North American economy.

The Employment Effects of the North American Free Trade Agreement
The Employment Effects of the North American Free Trade Agreement

Author: United States. National Commission for Employment Policy

Publisher:

Published: 1992

Total Pages: 446

ISBN-13:

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Scottish psychiatrist R.D. Laing gained a reputation in the late 60's for his radical objection to conventional psychiatry. After 35 years of professional pracice, he agreed to be videotaped in public lectures and private conversations.

NAFTA and the Politics of Labor Transnationalism
NAFTA and the Politics of Labor Transnationalism

Author: Tamara Kay

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2011-01-31

Total Pages: 337

ISBN-13: 113949466X

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

When NAFTA went into effect in 1994, many feared it would intensify animosity among North American unions, lead to the scapegoating of Mexican workers and immigrants, and eclipse any possibility for cross-border labor cooperation. But far from polarizing workers, NAFTA unexpectedly helped stimulate labor transnationalism among key North American unions and erode union policies and discourses rooted in racism. The emergence of labor transnationalism in North America presents compelling political and sociological puzzles: how did NAFTA, the concrete manifestation of globalization processes in North America, help deepen labor solidarity on the continent? In addition to making the provocative argument that global governance institutions can play a pivotal role in the development of transnational social movements, this book suggests that globalization need not undermine labor movements: collectively, unions can help shape how the rules governing the global economy are made.

NAFTA
NAFTA

Author: United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Labor and Human Resources. Subcommittee on Labor

Publisher:

Published: 1992

Total Pages: 84

ISBN-13:

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Labor Market Issues Along the U.S.-Mexico Border
Labor Market Issues Along the U.S.-Mexico Border

Author: Marie T. Mora

Publisher: University of Arizona Press

Published: 2009-12-15

Total Pages: 280

ISBN-13: 9780816527007

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Five million workers are employed in a variety of settings along the U.S.ÐMexico border, yet labor market outcomes on each side often differ. U.S. workers tend to have low earnings and high unemployment compared with the rest of the country, while workers on the Mexican side of the border are often more prosperous than those in the interior. This book sheds new light on these socioeconomic differentials, along with other labor market issues affecting both sides of the border. The contributors take up issues that dominate the current discourseÑ migration, trade, gender, education, earnings, and employment. They analyze labor conditions and their relationship to immigration, and also provide insight into income levels and population concentrations, the relative prosperity of MexicoÕs border region, and NAFTAÕs impact on trade and living conditions. Drawing on demographic, economic, and labor data, the chapters treat topics ranging from historical context to directions for future research. They cover the importance of trade to both the United States and Mexico, salary differentials, the determinants of wages among Mexican immigrant women on the U.S. side, and the net effect of Mexican migration on the public coffers in U.S. border states. The bookÕs concluding policy prescriptions are geared toward improving conditions on the U.S. side without dampening the success of workers in Mexico. Written to be equally accessible to social scientists, policy makers, and concerned citizens, this book deals with issues often overlooked in national policy discussions and can help readers better understand real-life conditions along the border. It dispels misconceptions regarding labor interdependence between the two countries while offering policy recommendations useful for improving the economic and social well-being of border residents.