Barry Carr. Globalization from below: labour internationalism under NAFTA.
International Social Science Journal [UNESCO] 51(1): 49-59, March 1999. (Available in English and Spanish).
One of a collection of articles published as the volume "Social and cultural aspects of regional integration," Carr's analysis places claims for labor internationalism stemming from the passage of NAFTA within the context of a global trend toward cross-border labor solidarity and coordination with groups representing other social concerns, such as environment. Reviewing developments during 1994-1998, Carr cautions that labor internationalism within North America has often been launched from the North toward the South, framed as a response to a perceived problem or threat posed by Mexico, and characterized by chauvinism, paternalism, patron-clientelism and protectionism. Many of the initial efforts quickly collapsed or have confronted particularly difficult barriers in improving labor conditions within the maquiladoras, while the North American Agreement on Labor Cooperation addresses primarily governmental policies and programs and has been a weak instrument in supporting unions and other non-governmental
The article is available in Spanish on the UNESCO web site at http://www.unesco.org/issj/rics159/titlepagespa159.html, or in English or Spanish by contacting BIOS.
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