Moure-Eraso R, Wilcox M, Punnett L, Copeland L, Levenstein C
University of Massachusetts Lowell.
Am J Ind Med. 1994 Mar;25(3):311-24. doi: 10.1002/ajim.4700250302.
Present working conditions in one of the most active areas of the maquiladora system along the Mexico-U.S. border are reminiscent of nineteenth-century U.S. sweatshops. This conclusion was reached after evaluating two separate but interrelated surveys among Mexican nationals living near the Mexico-U.S. border, one of community leaders (Paper I), and one of workers in maquiladora enterprises in the towns of Matamoros and Reynosa, Mexico (Paper II). Paper I evaluates the results of the community leaders' survey. Criteria for selection of the leaders were: level of responsibility in the community; knowledge of the industry in the region, and length of residence in the area (more than 3 years). Representatives from government, maquiladora industry management, labor union leadership, labor union activists, and community improvement activists were interviewed. Structured questionnaires with opportunities for open-ended answers were used by trained Spanish speaking interviewers. The questions covered community demographics, health care structures, governance of the region, knowledge of working conditions, and knowledge of environmental impact on the region and the community. Community leaders were ambivalent on the purported benefits of the development of these types of industries in their communities. A substantial majority (21 of 25) thought that the maquiladoras brought few positive developments, other than creating jobs. Serious concerns about overextending weak social infrastructures and about environmental deterioration were voiced. Immediate (preventive) measures appear necessary to develop community infrastructures and to protect environmental health.
墨西哥与美国边境沿线加工出口区体系最活跃的地区之一，目前的工作条件让人想起19世纪美国的血汗工厂。这一结论是在对居住在墨西哥与美国边境附近的墨西哥公民进行两项独立但相互关联的调查后得出的，一项是对社区领袖的调查（论文一），另一项是对墨西哥马塔莫罗斯和雷诺萨镇加工出口企业工人的调查（论文二）。论文一评估了社区领袖调查的结果。选择领袖的标准是：在社区中的责任水平；对该地区产业的了解程度，以及在该地区的居住时长（超过3年）。来自政府、加工出口行业管理层、工会领导层、工会活动人士和社区改善活动人士的代表接受了采访。受过培训的西班牙语采访者使用了带有开放式回答机会的结构化问卷。问题涵盖社区人口统计、医疗保健结构、地区治理、工作条件的了解情况，以及对该地区和社区环境影响的了解情况。社区领袖对这类产业在其社区发展所带来的所谓好处态度矛盾。绝大多数人（25人中有21人）认为，除了创造就业机会外，加工出口工厂带来的积极发展很少。他们表达了对过度使用薄弱的社会基础设施以及环境恶化的严重担忧。似乎有必要立即采取（预防性）措施来发展社区基础设施并保护环境健康。
