Brief Annotated Bibliography on Mexico, NAFTA, and Labor Rights

Barry, Tom. Crossing the Line; Immigrants, Economic Integration, and Drug Enforcement on the U.S.-Mexico Border with Harry Browne and Beth Sims (Interhemispheric Resources Center Press, 1994. Looks at cross-border problems presented by the northward migration stream, the maquila economy, the booming narcotics trade, and the infrastructure crisis.

Dwyer, Augusta. On the Line: Life on the US-Mexican Border. (1994) Based on thorough first-hand research by a Canadian reporter. Sections on the history of the maquiladoras, women workers issues, attempts to organize, health, safety, and environmental issues. Still essential though a bit dated.

Economic Policy Institute publishes frequent reports on the impact of free trade on North Americans. See their NAFTA at Seven report. www.epinet.org

Free Trade and Economic Restructuring in Latin America a NACLA Reader ed. By Rosen & McFadden. Articles from North American Congress on Latin America give broad background for what is happening in the maquiladoras by analyzing the effects of neo-liberalism all across Latin America.

Hathaway, Dale. Allies Across the Border; Mexico’s ‘Authentic Labor Front’ and Global Solidarity (south End Press, 2000) Good background on Mexico in the global economy and history of one of Mexico’s most progressive and solidarity-minded unions.

MacArthur, John R. The Selling of Free Trade; NAFTA, Washington and the Subversion of American Democracy (Hill & Wang, 2000). Expose of how NAFTA got passed.

Martinez, Oscar. Border People. (University of Arizona, 1994) The sociological analysis is a little dull, but if you skip over that and go to the stories based on interviews, you get a good multifaceted view of the border culture and issues from lots of different points of view.

LaBotz, Dan. Mask of Democracy: Labor Suppression in Mexico Today. (South End Press, 1992). Overview on labor law and rights and brief history of labor movement in Mexico. Shows how charro unions and company unions all work in tandem with the PRI and corporations to keep labor down. Detailed case histories but somewhat dated.

La Botz, Dan. Democracy in Mexico. (South End Press, 1995) This book puts the struggle of workers on the northern border and of campesinos at the southern border in a broader context. Good summary of modern development of the PRI-linked unions and current struggles to break free.

Langewiesche, William. Cutting for Sign. (Vintage, 1995) More focus on immigration and drugs than labor. Gives some interesting insights into shifting cultural allegiances and the underside of life at the Border. Interesting sections on organizational work of Maria Torres and Ed Krueger.

Mexican Labor News and Analysis, ed by Dan La Botz bimonthly news magazine on labor and economic policy in Mexico. http://www.igc.apc.org/unitedelect/alert.html.

Kamel, Rachael & Anna Hoffman. The Maquiladora Reader; Cross-Border Organizing Since NAFTA (American Friends Service Committee, 1999, 215-241-7132, $14.95).

Peña, Devon G. The Terror of the Machine; Technology, Work, Gender & Ecology on the U.S.-Mexico Border (Center for Mexican American Studies, 1997)

Public Citizen Global Trade Watch. NAFTA Report Card (Dec. 1998) at http://www.citizen.org/ pctrade/nafta/reports/5years.htm. Comprehensive report on NAFTA at five years. See other NAFTA information at this web site.

Ross, John. The Annexation of Mexico; From the Aztecs to the IMF. (Common Courage Press, 1998) Very powerful and well-written account by American journalist who has traveled widely and is very familiar with Mexico’s history and contemporary social movements. Looks at US-Mexico relations from an historical and economic perspective and Mexican opposition to current US "annexation" strategy.

Sims, Beth. On Foreign Soil; Government Programs in U.S.-Mexico Relations (Interhemispheric Resource Center Press, 1993) A look at US Mexico Relations in the context of free trade, military aid and the war on drugs.

Sims, Beth. Workers of the World Undermined; American Labor's Role in U.S. Foreign Policy. (South End Press, 1991) A very critical look at the AFL-CIO’s foreign policy and complicity with CIA and corporate interests in Latin America.

Urrea, Luis Alberto. By the Lake of Sleeping Children. (Anchor, 1996) A hard and sometimes elegiac portrait of daily life in the colonia inside the garbage dump in Tijuana. This is one that could create a strong impression for people who can’t actually go there. Similar in many ways to conditions in some of the poorest colonias in Tamaulipas.

Williams, Heather L.. Social Movements & Economic Transition; Markets and Distributive Conflict in Mexico. (Cambridge University Press, 2001) Examines patterns of political mobilization among groups in mexico whose livelihoods have been threatened by neoliberal policies.