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| ...Repent of your evil doing and you will
experience true peace and joy. Although Ash Wednesday is a "marathon," I
thoroughly enjoy challenging people to Victor and I finish the first service at 10:30; the break time is over and people are running back to work. As we are getting ready to go to another factory, a number of managers approach us asking to receive ashes; I feel like the Baptist once again. "Even tax collectors came to be baptized and they said to him, 'Teacher, what should we do?' He answered them, "Stop collecting more than what is prescribed." (Lk 3, 12-13). And I said to them; administrators treat your workers fairly; pay a just wage; respect their rights. Justice is a huge issue in the factories. The work is long, hard, repetitive, and low paying. The majority of the factories are foreign and from the U.S. They come to Mexico precisely because "el mano de obra" (the price of labor) is so affordable. Obviously, their margin of profit increases because the pay scale is so low. Because of low labor costs, retail stores in the U.S. offer quality goods at low and discount prices. The U.S. consumer benefits while the Mexican laborer is contritely struggling to provide the basics: food, shelter, and clothing. What is wrong with this picture? I am always awed at the amount of repetitious work that a factory worker does in the course of a day, week, month, year, and years. There are many workers who are very faithful to their boring production job. Most of them do not have a choice. If they quit their job, they will not be able to find another, given the tight economic climate. Often-times, the entry pay is so low that a worker cannot afford all the household basics for himself and his family: food, clothing, and electricity. Therefore, both the husband and wife must work to pay the bills, while very young children are home alone. Presently, Victor and I are inside Coastcast, a factory that makes golf clubs of all major brands sold principally in the U.S. and Canada. The sound of the machines is deafening. Young and strong men fearlessly stand in front of the powerful routing machines carefully shaping and polishing the heads of the golf clubs. "You really have to have steady hands," I comment to one of the floor managers, "for hours everyday." "It is a very difficult repetitious job," he responds. I am impressed by the strength and endurance displayed by these young workers. Many young women are diligently painting the clubs in an enclosed room. As I pass by, a strong odor overwhelms my faculty to perceive such odors; the fumes are noxious. Although the women wear protective facial gear, I wonder if it is sufficient to block the invading poisonous smell. The crowds are starting to lineup to receive a sign: a sign of repentance.... |
