Familiar Connections: A Personal Re/View of Latino/a Identity, Gender, and Class Issues in the Context of the Labor Dispute Between Sprint and Law Conexion Familiar

Abstract:     
This narrative explores intersectionality and anti-essentialism in the context of the author's experience as an expert witness for Sprint in the first proceeding under NAFTA's labor side accord filed by a Mexican labor union against a US company. The narrative recounts how the author came to be an expert for Sprint, why he agreed to be an expert witness, the facts and law relating to La Conexion Familiar, a Sprint subsidiary employing a substantial complement of Latina workers and engaged in the sale of long distance services to Spanish speaking people in the US. The narrative concludes with the author's expression of regret over the testimony and an analysis about how easily mistakes regarding race and gender politics can be made without more reflective thinking about intersections of race and gender as well as reflection about how an absolute approach to anti-essentialism can lead to trouble. The narrative ends with a prescription about how people of color might think through the issues that arise in the context of serving as a corporate expert witness.

Number of Pages in PDF File: 24

Accepted Paper Series