NAFTA and Labor in North America

Acknowledgments

Acknowledgments My interests in writing this book go back at least ten years. While making revisions on my first book, Mexican Workers and the State: From the Porfiriato to NAFTA, in preparation for publication, the late Tracy Row, then editor for Texas Christian University Press, suggested that I include a final chapter that updated materials on developments in the Mexican labor movement since the 1960s. It was then when I began to think seriously about why the fortunes of workers and organized labor in Mexico and the United States had taken a turn for the worse in recent times. I resolved then to make my next project a study on why and how labor’s fortunes had been reversed. In 2002, my endeavors in this area landed me in Washington, DC, where for three years I researched labor issues in North America at the Secretariat of the Commission for Labor Cooperation, created as part of the NAFTA labor side agreement. While in Washington, I attended countless meetings on labor-related issues. I met and spoke often for long periods with a variety of individuals who worked in government, nongovernmental organizations, and private think tanks. Of course, I spent even more of my time interacting and socializing with my colleagues at the Secretariat, who as labor lawyers, labor economists, and industrial-relations specialists from the three NAFTA countries helped shape my understanding of labor in North America. As a result, I am indebted to many people too numerous to mention. I do, however, want to express my sincere thanks to Tony Giles, now the Director General of Strategic Policy, Analysis and Workplace at Human Resources and Skills Development Canada. As a colleague at the Secretariat, Tony was very generous with his time, sharing with me his in-depth knowledge of the world of labor, especially as it relates to Canada. I also express my gratitude to Enrique de la Garza Toledo, one of Mexico’s best and brightest authorities on labor. When I travel to Mexico, Enrique’s warm hospitality is unmatched. Fort Hays State University deserves much credit for providing me with financial assistance and large chunks of leave time to pursue the research and writing of this book. I also wish to thank the readers of an earlier version of this book. As referees for the University of Illinois Press, they made comments on how to make improvements on that earlier version. I am indebted especially to David Montgomery, who as series editor for the press made suggestions that were insightful and a challenge to implement. The staff at the University of Illinois Press needs thanks for the work in getting this book to the reading public. I sincerely appreciate the support of Laurie Matheson, who as series acquisition editor believed in this project from the very start. Finally, I express gratitude to my immediate family, who with their unflagging patience, support, and sacrifice of their time always make the unlikely a reality, including publication of this book. x . acknowledgments NAFTA and Labor in North America ...