MEXICO CITY (AP) - Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador is now trying to close the Pandora's box of wage demands he helped unleash when he doubled the minimum wage in border areas.

The wave of strikes at 48 export-oriented "maquiladora" assembly plants in the border city of Matamoros has now spread to non-export factories.

Workers at local industries like bottling plants are now demanding the same kind of 20-percent increases and $1,650 bonuses that the maquiladora employees got in January.

The situation has gotten so bad that Coca Cola products are growing scarce in Matamoros stores after the local plant was hit by a strike.

Lopez Obrador said Thursday that wages should rise "but we shouldn't create an atmosphere of labor instability."

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