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On The Line

On The Line

Augusta Dwyer

(1994)

Additional Information

Book Details

Abstract

The US-Mexican border is a unique meeting point of the first and third worlds. Every day thousands of Mexicans run the gauntlet of the US Border Patrol to reach the promised lands of California and Texas. On the Mexican side half a million people, mainly young women, earn a dollar an hour or less, toiling for US companies in the assembly plants. In On The Line, Augusta Dwyer journeys through the crowded, dirty cities of the border, uncovering the stories of dozens of ordinary Mexicans - workers, illegal migrants, environmental activists. She reveals the hidden costs of free trade, and shows how Mexicans are resisting exploitation and the destruction of their environment.

Table of Contents

Section Title Page Action Price
Title Page i
Acknowledgements ii
Copyright Page ii
Table of Contents iii
Map v
Preface vii
1: Petra: Welcome to the Border 1
2: Don Jaime's Domain: The Rise of the Maquiladoras 15
3: Women's Work: Attempts to Organise 31
4: The Way the Wind Blows: The Environment 49
5: Handle with Care: Health and Safety in the Factories 66
6: The Mexican Incident Book: Migrant Workers in the US 79
7: Let's Shoot Some Aliens: The US Border Patrol 100
8: On the Line: Organising for Change in Mexico and the US 121
Mexico in Brief 131
Acronyms 134
Further Reading 136
Resources and Action 139
Index 144