Reflections on a Woman Factory Worker's Historic Run for Juarez Mayor Kent Paterson - CIP Americas
go to original April 18, 2016

Aspirante a Candidata Antonia Hinojos Hernandez, Su Plataforma Abarca el Sector Maquilador (Juárez Hoy)

Antonia “Toñita” Hinojos Hernandez’s name won’t be appearing on the June ballot for mayor of the northern Mexican border city of Ciudad Juarez. A longtime factory worker who was fired last year for participating in the labor movement that arose in the foreign owned, export-oriented assembly plants known as maquiladoras, Hinojos was the standard bearer of a historic effort mounted by fellow worker activists to get one of their own registered as an independent candidate so working-class demands for higher pay, improved working conditions and union representation could get wider public exposure.

In order to achieve this goal, Hinojos had to present nearly 30,000 signatures along with corresponding copies of voter ID cards to state electoral authorities by March 7. She had thirty days to collect the magic number, or about 1,000 valid signatures per day.

After weeks of pounding the pavement, punctuated by “tiredness, hunger and thirst,” in Hinojos’ words, the campaign counted about 10,400 signatures as the deadline approached.

Although the signature total fell far short of the legal requirement, the effort still ranks as a considerable achievement considering the myriad challenges the volunteer-based campaign was up against. Hinojos is far from disappointed about the outcome.

“We managed to share our struggle, our concerns, with the people whom we came into contact and were able to talk,” Hinojos says. “We’re still learning,” the first-time political contender said with a chuckle.

In a phone interview, Hinojos reflected on the experiences of her short-lived but intense run, the political lessons gleaned from the struggle and the new knowledge that she and her dedicated team acquired about the city they live in.

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