A POOR TRADE

Bruce Selcraig’s “Poisonous Flows the Rio Grande” (Oct. 25) made some mention of the appalling conditions in the U.S.-Mexican border region through which the river winds, but failed to blame sufficiently the U.S. business community and the Reagan-Bush administrations for the increasing devastation in the area.

At the beginning of the Reagan presidency, about 250 factories were located in the maquiladora free-trade region running along the border between Mexico and the United States; now there are more than 2,000 factories in this zone employing more than half a million workers. Over this same period, Mexico’s average hourly wage has decreased from $1.38 to 51 cents.

A study by the Economic Policy Institute predicts the loss of 550,000 U.S. jobs over the next 10 years if the pending North American Free Trade Agreement goes into effect. This makes sense since, all told, employers save as much as $30,000 a year per worker by relocating to Mexico. They also reap huge benefits from lax or nonexistent job-safety and environmental-protection laws. The environmental devastation cited by Selcraig and many others in the border region would also become common throughout Mexico.

The effect of the agreement will be to turn Mexico into a huge maquiladora zone and, increasingly, the United States into a huge Mexico as wages plummet. If you value your job, the health of the Mexican and American people, and the environment of both countries, make sure your congressional representatives hear your voice.

PAUL ERICKSON

San Diego