Refers to a factory (commonly located in Mexico or Central America) owned by a multinational corporation. NAFTA, which forms the basis of free trade, allows these corporations to import the raw materials into, for example Tijuana, Mexico which is just across the border. The product is manufactured there, by labourers, a high percentage of which are women, who earn extremely low wages. Until very recently, trade unions were non-existant in these countries, and still remain very scarce. This means that the workers have no real way to better their working conditions, or actually make enough money to feed their children.