Day 5: First Interview

I conducted my first interview and I was able to collect some great information.  I interviewed a woman in her early 50s who worked in various maquilas in El Salvador and also happens to be my mother's friend.  We covered various topics from her work in the maquilas to migration to the U.S to fatherhood.  Since it was my first interview in El Salvador, I  wanted to interview her first to make sure that my translations were accurate and that my questions made sense.  I did have one awkward moment when I asked about her relationships with her coworkers in the maquilas.  I said "relaciones" which means relations in Spanish but within El Salvador it means sexual relationships.  After realizing my embarrassing mistake, we laughed it off and she answered the question I meant to ask.  Ha.

I will not go into the details of my interviews on this blog, since I will use my findings for my thesis, but I will share some portions.  From what folks have told me, Korean owned maquilas tend to use harsh punishment.  My first interviewee mentioned that upon entering the maquila, workers are required to cover their shoes with a plastic covering.  I then asked if it was to protect the shoes of workers, and she responded "what do you mean? It's to protect the maquila floor from dirt and scratches."  When workers forget to cover their shoes, managers hit then with a stick.  At just $5 a day in wages for a 7am-4pm shift, maquila workers produce thousands of garments a day.  Workers are well aware of how much garments are sold for in the U.S. since they are labeled and priced before it leaves the maquilas.  My interviewee noted that one shirt she made was priced at $75.

This is just one story of many I heard.  I have two more interviews lined up for tonight.  One is a male who works in a factory, the other is a female who works in the maquilas.  Finding men who work in the maquilas has been difficult.  Most of the men that I encounter work tend to work in other types of factories.