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Abstract
American labor unions have been united in their opposition to a pact they feel believe will result in more jobs heading south of the border. Most Mexican unions, many tied politically to the Mexican government, support the idea.
He [Benedicto Martinez] acknowledged that the agreement would create jobs in Mexico, but Martinez he said the low wages and poor living conditions that come with those jobs would not dramatically improve the quality of life. And, he said, the job growth is not likely to keep up with the growth of Mexico's population. That means unemployment will continue to rise.
In the past 25 years, more than 1,800 plants started operations along the border -- American companies using Mexican workers for assembly operations on the Mexican side of the border. The wages are a fraction of what they would be in the United States, and most companies pay no benefits. Mexico also has much weaker enforcement of environmental laws than the United States.