Up Against the Charros and the Changarros

Despite labor laws that look great on paper, job quality in Mexico has stagnated and in some ways worsened. The charro (cowboy) unions, as critics dub the "official," government-linked labor associations, deliver little for workers. And increasing numbers of Mexicans fall outside the scope of the law altogether, because instead of having chambas (jobs), they have changarros (self-employment or marginal employment in a kaleidoscopic range of microbusinesses and hustles). |