The argument offered in this book is based upon two propositions. The first concerns the effects of restructuring and integration on workers' economic interests. Restructuring initiatives were designed to cut employment, reduce the growth rate in real wages and benefits, and weaken union controls over the labor process. Many workers were affected negatively, regardless of skill

level and seniority. At the same time, neither muldnational firms nor the Mexican state were willing to negotiate long-term pacts with labor over reform, preferring instead to impose change unilaterally. In the majority - but not all - of the cases,1 the absence of agreements covering investment, employment, wages, and productivity led unions to suppose that they would not realize employment stability or real wage gains in the future for sacrifices made in the present. In this context, structural conditions in the sector created a clash of interests between labor and firms. Workers demanded immediate employment protections and substantial wage gains.2