Maquiladoras Affect Quality of Life at Mexico-U.S. Border

South of the border, down Mexico way — Nogales, Sonora, that is — about 80 U.S. industries employ about 30,000 workers in environmentally squeaky clean plants, called maquiladoras. They assemble products such as luggage, surge protectors, computer components and electrical components, for sale in the United States. The companies began moving into Mexico in the early 1980s because of cheap labor. To hear environmental managers tell it, working conditions are excellent, the pay scale is good by Mexican standards and government safety, health and environmental agencies are satisfied that laws are being met.

The managers say their plants must adhere to environmental laws on both sides of the border. For example, waste from materials brought in from the United States for processing must be transported back for disposal in compliance with U.S. environmental regulations. Indeed, from the outside, some of the plants that line the main two-lane road leading to and from the Mexico-U.S. border checkpoint look like any sprawling industrial park you might see in the United States.

Unfortunately, none of the Sonoran companies contacted by the Society of Environmental Journalists (SEJ) would arrange a plant visit for journalists who toured the area in early October as part of an annual SEJ conference held in nearby Tucson. Six environmental managers did, however, meet with the journalists at a nonplant location to answer questions about environmental conditions in the plants; conformance with Mexican safety, health and environment laws; workers' salaries; and a recent industry-assisted effort to build housing for some of the lowest paid workers.

The reason no plant tours could be arranged, the managers said, varied from plant to plant. One plant was expecting a visit from a high-ranking manager. Another plant's manager was away on business. Other plants offered other excuses. In the end, however, the managers admitted that nobody wanted journalists to tour plants because their stories in the past have always been negative. In other words, the industries "have been burned" by the media and managers are media-shy.

Being media-shy is not unusual. Many industries in the United States are media shy for the same reason. However, by not aggressively trying to overcome the media's negative portrayal, the industries compound the perception that they are hiding something. The managers swore they were hiding nothing.

According to these managers, workers (average age, 20-23) are paid up to "the equivalent of $1.80 to 2.00 an hour," not including benefits such as lunches and sometimes breakfast (depending on the plant), infirmary privileges and some other unspecified "benefits."