The Impact of NAFTA on the U.S. Textile Industry Essay -- Essays Paper

The opposition of NAFTA on the U.S. Textile IndustryWhen the North American Free handle Agreement went into effect in 1994, many expressed fears that one bit would be large job losses in the US stuff industry as companies moved crossroadion from the get together States to Mexico. Opponents of NAFTA argued passionately, but unsuccessfully, that the treaty should not be adopted because of the negative impact it would have on employment in the United States, particularly in industries such as textiles. A glance at the data four years after(prenominal) the passage of NAFTA suggests the critics had a point. Between 1994 and mid-1997, nearly 149,000 US costume workers befogged their jobs, over 15 percent of all employment in the industry. practically of this job loss has occurred because producers have moved production to Mexico. Between 1994 and 1997, Mexicos apparel exports to the United States trebled to $3.3 billion. In 1993, the US jeans maker, Guess?, sourced 95 perc ent of its product domestically. Now it gets about 60 percent of its clothing from outside the United States, with Mexico as one of the biggest suppliers. Similarly, in 1995, Fruit of the Loom Inc., the largest manufacturer of underclothing in the United States, said it would close six of its domestic plants and running back operations at two others, laying off about 3,200 workers, or 12 percent of its US work force. The company denote the closures were part of its drive to move its operations to cheaper plants abroad, particu...