Alex Swanson: Our visit to the Maquilladora

Alex Swanson
Mexico Trip Blog Entry
2/12/08

Today the group went to a factory, maquiladora, called Chamberlain. This factory which is the #1 producer of garage door openers in the world, is located in scenic Nogales, Sonora.

As we walk up to the factory, I can see that it stands out from all the other buildings in Nogales with its polished windows and smoothed concrete exterior. The lobby was what one would expect of any factory in such a location—shiny and even better, sound proofed.
We are herded up to an air-conditioned conference room. Along the way we get a glimpse of part of the factory floor (part of the third floor, it turns out). It is an expanse of moving machinery and still people.
In the conference room, we meet with a company representative obviously well-prepared to tell us whatever he thinks we ought to hear. He begins the presentation by asking what we want to know; he was decently honest…
The presentation lasts for around an hour, and we begin our tours. My group (half of the total) are with two women who showed up about halfway through the meeting. One was the director of safety or some other title like that, and the other was head of PR. As we walk through a well-planned and small tour route through the factory, being shown how this does this and that also does this, we look around at all the workers there, and they look back. However, there is a difference in the eyes. Ours show curiosity, theirs show scrutiny. This is not where they truly want to be, and while they are getting paid, this is not their dream. Many of these people are trying to get to America, just saving up in the meantime. Looking at them made the tour, while interesting, feel very alienating. We are the students, they are the workers, and this is a big thick invisible wall between us. The fact that we were unable to actually talk to them, or touch them, made me feel like we were a world, or several, apart.
When we leave the factory, they line us up in front of the building and snap a picture. I at the time was not thinking about it too much, but afterwards I realized perhaps it was for some marketing ploy.
“Look everyone, we’re friendly! We even let teenagers in our factory!”
When really, despite all they say, they’re not. Just by the very fact that they are here in Nogales taking advantage of this cheap labor in such an impoverished city makes them almost barbaric, although that’s just an opinion.
Another day well spent, we head back to our safe haven in the midst of all the ashes and dust, and lay our heads to rest.
-Alex Swanson, 12 Feb ‘08