The past week, the students had a week long excursion
to Mexico City packed with various activities including numerous speakers and visits. One of the visits was to the Pascual Factory,
a Mexican soft drink company, which has a powerful and inspiring
history that continues to thrive on the market today. The company, known in Spanish as Sociedad
Cooperativa Trabajadores de Pascual, is an amazing business especially when its
competition consists of major corporations such as Coca-Cola. The cooperative has survived combating corporate
competition for decades and still has been able to succeed as a company
that prioritizes its workers above fiscal interests. The company faced a pivotal conflict in the
1980’s when workers asked for a wage increase during of time of questionable ownership. The workers, the heart of the company,
refused to accept no as a response to their petition. They began a strike that lasted 3 years and
ended successfully in favor of the workers.
The story continues to be an inspiration for many. The business has continued to grow since the
labor strike in the 1980’s without a single peso from the federal
government. By standing up for the
morals that keep the cooperative strong and just, the Pascual factory was able
to keep the ownership of the business in the hands of the workers.
-Sam Krogstad, 2012
Socially responsible institutions such as Boing are an example and trend-setter in Mexico. Often times, companies, especially those following the neoliberal model of implementation, sacrifice workers' rights for maximum profits. It's nice to hear of a company who doesn't rely on the government yet still competes in the beverage market, and best of all, it does so without sacrificing its workers. Hopefully, other industries (such as maquillas) will follow suit.
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