The Evolution of United States–Mexico Labor Cooperation (1994‐2009): Achievements and Challenges

Abstract

This article offers an account of cooperation between Mexico and the United States around labor issues from 1994, when the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) labor side agreement first made labor issues relevant to United States–Mexico foreign relations, to the present, where that cooperation has broken down substantially. I offer a panorama of the scope and content of labor cooperation between Mexico and the United States, across both formal channels of representation, such as the NAFTA institutions and bilateral meetings, as well as the informal channels, including those forged by civil society and labor unions across borders. I then provide insight into the erosion of labor cooperation in recent years, discuss the wavering commitment to labor issues across successive administrations in both Mexico and the United States, and speculate as to what impact this may have on U.S.–Mexican relations more broadly. Este artículo ofrece un recuento de la cooperación entre México y los Estados Unidos acerca de temas laborales desde 1994, cuando el acuerdo paralelo del Tratado de Libre Comercio de América del Norte (TLCAN) hizo relevantes por primera vez temas laborales para las relaciones exteriores de ambos países, hasta el presente, cuando la cooperación ha fracasado substancialmente. Ofrezco un panorama del alcance y contenido de la cooperación laboral entre México y los Estados Unidos, a través de tanto canales formales de representación tales como las instituciones del TLCAN y las reuniones bilaterales, como también de canales informales, incluyendo aquellos creados por la sociedad civil y sindicatos a través de las fronteras. Proveo entonces una visión de la erosión de la cooperación laboral en años recientes, discuto el vacilante compromiso en temas laborales a través de las administraciones tanto en México como en los Estados Unidos, y especulo sobre el impacto más amplio que esto puede tener en las relaciones Estados Unidos‐México.

The determinants of strikes in the Mexican automobile industry, 1980-2012

“…Regional labor cooperation and solidarity offers one avenue to address the economic challenges posed by integration. However, prior attempts to promote regional labor cooperation in the North American automobile industry have been uneven and limited (Babson & Nuñez, ; Nolan García, ). In Mexico, the prevalence of plant and enterprise unions in the automobile industry, and decentralized contracts, have created barriers to sustained coordination with U.S. and Canadian labor activists (Babson & Nuñez, ; Tuman, , pp.…”