ABSTRACT
In 1992, Smith-Corona relocated a factory from a community in upstate New York to Tijuana, Mexico. All the American workers lost their jobs (Beneria, 1998). Despite retraining programs and other forms of assistance offered by the state and federal governments, most workers suffered economically. The plant was located in a rural community with a declining economy, and the only employment option for most of the laid-off workers was to take a new job in the service sector that paid less. For some, a lengthy period of unemployment resulted in physical and mental health problems, marital conflicts, and behavior problems among their children. Others were forced to sever ties with friends, neighbors, and coworkers when they had to leave their community to find a job. Although Smith-Corona may have gained greater flexibility in its operations and savings in its labor costs, the workers experienced a variety of social and economic losses, and the small, rural community lost its major employer and many skilled workers in the process.
