1. the Border Region
a. Area
b. Population
|
1995 Population |
2000 Population |
2010 Population |
2020 Population |
Medium Projections Border total |
10,585,265 |
12,145,349 |
15,397,768 |
19,460,216 |
US subtotal |
5,827,439 |
6,438,616 |
7,604,430 |
8,957,028 |
Mexican subtotal |
4,757,826 |
5,706,733 |
7,793,338 |
10,503,188 |
c. Migration:
Many
maquila workers immigrate to the area from other parts of Mexico. They are
often unable to rely upon their
families for basic services, support, or protection from abuse as is common in
other parts of Mexico.
2. Maquila Industry
a.
Structure of the Maquila Industry
b.
Origins of Maquila Factories
No. of Women Working in the Maquiladora Industry: 472,423
"In the early days women made up as much as 80% of the assembly plant workforce, today they number close to 60%. While they can legally be hired at the age of 16, it is common for these girl-women to get false documents in order to go to work at ages as young as 12, 13 or 14." (Mexican Labor News & Analysis, 3/2/1999, v4, no4)
Minimum Wage
Mexico - $3.40 per day vs.
US - $5.15 per hour
Example:
Hourly compensation costs for production workers in manufacturing
Mexico
- $1.21 vs US - $17.70
(Global
Trade Watch, The NAFTA Index, October 1, 1998)
Market
basket
Example:
Case of Workers from Auto Trim de Mexico S. A. de C. V
Work
Schedule: 40 hours per week
Daily
wage: $8.29
Minimum
wage (Geographic Area A): $3.44 per day
Wage
per hour: $1.04
Weekly
salary: $58.09
Discount
for union dues (4%): $2.32
Net
pay: $55.77
Amount
leftover per week for clothes, shoes, entertainment and medical attention:
$2.03
Declining Condition of Border Women¹s Market Basket:
"According
to the December 16, 1998 issue of Mexican Labor News and Analysis, in
1987 a worker had to work 8 hours and 47 minutes
to buy the basic food basket for a family of four. Today
it takes 34 hours."