Tinker Nave Research Interns
Summer 2002
Globalization, Labor Rights and Transnational Solidarity: A Comparative Case Study of Anti-Sweatshop Campaigns in Mexico and Guatemala
Csar's project was a preliminary investigation aimed at comparing both the current state of maquiladora industry and the unionization efforts in Guatemala and Mexico. For this purpose he carried out fieldwork in the cities of: Puebla, Atlixco and Teotihuacn in Mexico and Guatemala City and Villa Nueva in Guatemala.
In these localities Csar conducted interviews with scholars, public officials, NGO activists, factory mangers, internal monitors working for US brands, labor lawyers and union leaders from the maquiladora industry.
Cesar (left hand side) interviewing the leaders of the KuKdong/Mexmode factory during lunchtime. Atlixco, Mexico
He also visited six maquiladora factories in Mexico and one in Guatemala, which gave him the opportunity to observe first hand actual labor conditions and how the labor process is organized in the shop floor.
Inside "Confecciones Imperial": The Shop Floor Tehuacn, Mexico Click on the photo to see a larger view
Of his experience Csar writes:
Doing fieldwork in Mexico and Guatemala during the summer was a challenging academic activity, as well as a formative personal experience. I am very grateful for having had this opportunity.
Indegenous woman doing quality control at the end of the production line in "Confecciones Imperial" Click on the photo to see a larger view
