Wednesday, September 15. 1999
The University Daily Kansan
Section A • Page 5
n.
NAFTA may be hurting workers
Mexican and U.S. workers should unite, activists say
Lesley Simmons writer@kansan.com Kansan staff writer
American and Mexican workers are at the mercy of multinational companies and governments, representatives of a worker's-rights group said.
Two members of the Cross Border Network for Justice and Solidarity spoke to about 60 students last night at the Ecumenical Christian Ministries about the negative effects of the North American Free Trade Agreement on workers in the United States and Mexico.
Joe Harrington, KU professor of English, and Judy Ancel, program director at University of Missouri-Kansas City said that in the United States, 200,000 jobs had been lost because of NAFTA. Some of those jobs used to be in this region. But, they say, Mexicans are not to blame.
NAFTA allows corporations to import and export goods across all of North America without paying tariffs. It also allows foreign companies to receive the same treatment as domestic companies.
However, Ancel said that after working with U.S. unions, she realized that American workers needed to get past the feelings that Mexicans took American jobs. They need to realize that the livelihood of either Mexican or American workers could depend on the actions of the same large, multinational companies. She said that was one reason the Network wanted to build solidarity and communication between workers in Mexico and the United States.
Ancel said that if the two groups of workers would unite it would present a force that the companies and governments could not ignore.
The Network, based in the Kansas City area focuses on the city of Nuevo Laredo, Mexico. The city is home to
Junior Mariana Hinojosa and sophomore Lorena Velazquez eat rice and beans during the Latin American Solidarity Organization meeting last night. The discussion focused on American companies moving across the Mexican border. Photo by Melissa Thornton/KANSAN
many maquiladoras, the Spanish word for a large factory, which usually are owned by large, multinational companies.
Environmental laws are not strictly enforced in Mexico, and workers have fewer rights, which can make Mexico attractive to companies. Ancel said that between 1994 and 1998 the number of maquiladora workers has doubled to more than 1 million, but wages have gone down as workers in the interior go the border region looking for work.
Joanna Griffith, Wichita junior, said she thought the speakers were realistic and impassioned.
"U.S. policy and what we do in the United States have an immense impact on Mexico, whether we know or care," she said. "So it's our responsibility as socially conscious citizens to learn about what our neighbors in Mexico are experiencing and try to have a positive impact."
Edited by Jamie Knodel
Latin students gather for celebration
By Lesley Simmons
writer@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
People in Central America will be marching and singing today in celebration of their 178th independence day.
Costa Rican students in Lawrence will recognize the holiday by gathering from 4 to 11 p.m. on Saturday at "Dad" Perry Park, located at Harvard Road and Monterey Way, to play "mejenga," a game similar to soccer, and eat "arroz con pollo," a rice and chicken dish.
Costa Rican students from Kansas State University also will attend the Saturday event.
"We get all Costa Ricans at both universities together," said Kathy
Richardson, president of the Costa Rican student association.
Since 1996, Costa Rican students from the University of Kansas and Kansas State have celebrated Independence Day together, alternating between Lawrence and Manhattan. This is the only time students from the universities meet formally, Richardson said.
About 70 students usually attend. Stephen Hylton, San Jose, Costa Rica senior, went to the celebration in Manhattan last year. He said he attended for fun, not because he was patriotic.
Alexandra Esquivel, San Jose,
Costa Rica graduate student, said
that in Costa Rica, the night before
Independence Day at 6 p.m., all of the
radio stations played the national
anthem.
"Over there it's a real holiday," she said. "There are no classes, no work."
Pakal Balam, a Teepan, Guatemala graduate student in Latin American studies, said that students and teachers marched and sang the national anthem together in Guatemala on Central America's independence day. However, Balan said, that because he was Mayan, he would not celebrate the holiday.
"There is a conflict between indigenous people and non-indigenous people." Balan said. "Indigenous people still do not have their independence. We cannot use our own language in school or government, and the national song does not include us."
Edited by Brad Hallier
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Thursday, September 16 Govt. Statistics on th Internet Europe Online
9:30 - 11:00a.m. Map
1:00 - 2:30 p.m. Clark
Friday, September 17 Research Tools for Theses and Diss. 10:30 - Noon Clark
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10:00 - 11:30a.m. Clark
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Noon - 1:00 p.m. Clark
Tuesday, September21 Searching Library Databases II, Humanities/ Social Sciences 9:00 - 10:30 a.m. Clark
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Searching Library Databases II, Science/ Technology
2:00 - 4:00 Clark
KU's New Online Catalog 5:30 - 6:30 Clark
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Govt. Statistics on the Internet 9:00 - 11:00 a.m. Budig
Saturday, September 25 Full-Text and Doc. Delivery Finding Inform. on the Web
Monday, September 27 Resources for Social Workers KU's New Online Catalog
10:00 -11:30 a.m. RCL
1:00 - 3:00 p.m. RCL
Tuesday, September 28 KU's New Online Catalog
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