International Research Network on Autowork in the Americas

The International Research Network on Autowork in the Americas (IRNAA) is a collaborative effort by labor-sympathetic researchers in the United States, Mexico, and Canada. Our primary concern is the quality of life at work in an industry undergoing rapid transformation. The project is coordinated by Steve Babson of Wayne State University’s Labor Studies Center, Huberto Juárez of the Autonomous University of Puebla’s Economics Department, and Wayne Lewchuk of McMaster University’s Labour Studies Center.

IRNAA’s 2005-2006 project, “Mapping Mexico’s Automotive Supply Chain,” addresses two matters of public concern for communities and organizations linked to the auto industry:

• The decline of union density and wages in North America’s autoparts industry.
• The exodus of autoparts jobs to offshore locations, particularly from the U.S. and Canada to Mexico.

While it is common knowledge that these two issues are linked, there is little agreement about how far either process might go. A first step in addressing the policy concerns of public officials and union leaders is, therefore, a systematic mapping of the Mexican supply chain for autoparts.

The field work for this study will be conducted by Professor Juárez in six locations where the bulk of Mexico’s assembly and related supplier plants are located: 1) Hermosillo (Ford); 2) Saltillo/Ramos Arizpe (Chrysler and GM); 3) Aguscalientes/Silao (Nissan and GM); 4) Toluca/Cuautitlán (Chrysler, Ford, GM); 5) Cuernavaca (Nissan); and 6) Puebla (VW). The field work will investigate three issues of concern:

1) Inventory of suppliers: the location and product of Tier 1 supplier plants in Mexico, with a particular focus on U.S. and Canadian-based firms with which the UAW has negotiated neutrality/card-check agreements.

2) Mapping the supply chain for parts, components, and modules produced in Mexico and destined for assembly plants in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. Of particular interest is the changing mix between a) maquiladora production in export-only plants along the border; b) dedicated supplier plants producing on a JIT basis for Mexican assembly operations; and c) supplier plants producing for both Mexican and U.S./Canadian assembly operations. Mapping would include a detailed breakdown of sourcing patterns for selected assembly plants in the locations specified above.

3) Analysis: for selected plants drawn from the above inventory and supply-chain mapping, a detailed assessment of human resource management, work organization, compensation, value-added, productivity, and union involvement in change efforts.

On the basis of this field work, Professor Juárez will produce a report that details his findings and analyses their implications. The translation and editing of the final report will be completed in 2006.
For more information contact: Steve Babson, 313-577-2191; s.babson@wayne.edu.