Search News
For the Media
For media inquiries, call CWA Communications at 202-434-1168 or email comms@cwa-union.org. To read about CWA Members, Leadership or Industries, visit our About page.
Battle Against CAFTA Moves to the House
In the wake of the Senate's bipartisan vote last week to approve the ill-advised Central American Free Trade Agreement, CWA is urging members to step up their opposition as the stepsister to NAFTA lands in the U.S. House.
CAFTA, as CWA's legislative staff repeatedly told senators, would accelerate the loss of U.S. jobs brought on by the North American Free Trade Agreement, sending work to developing countries where workers earn only a few dollars a day and have little or no protection under the law.
"Over the next few weeks, we're asking CWA members to call, write and e-mail their representatives to implore them to vote against CAFTA," CWA President Morton Bahr said. "As the Senate vote illustrates, this is not a strictly party-line issue. There are Democrats we need to bring back to our side and Republicans who can be swayed to support American workers."
The Senate vote was 54-45 with 10 Democrats voting in favor of it and 12 Republicans voting against it. Prospects may be better in the House. Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi said more than 90 percent of House Democrats are opposed to CAFTA and that a large number of Republicans appear to be against it.
Senators who strongly agreed with CWA's position include Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.). During debate on the Senate floor he said, "Shouldn't we be doing trade agreements with countries that have labor standards? Shouldn't we decide on behalf of American workers that we care first and foremost about American workers?"
Senator John Kerry (D-Mass.), who voted for NAFTA in 1994, also argued against CAFTA, calling it "a giant step backward."
The Senate vote came on the heels of an Associated Press story revealing that the Bush Labor Department had kept secret several reports that show the Central American countries included in CAFTA have poor working conditions and fail to protect workers' rights.
"In practice, labor laws on the books in Central America are not sufficient to deter employers from violations, as actual sanctions for violations of the law are weak or nonexistent," the report from the International Labor Rights Fund said.
The Labor Department, which paid more than $700,000 for the study, instructed the ILRF to remove the reports from its website, ordered it to retrieve paper copies before they became public, banned release of new information from the reports and told the contractor it couldn't discuss the studies with outsiders.
The House Ways and Means Committee has sent the legislation, H.R. 3045, to the full House for debate and vote. Under fast-track rules for trade treaties, the House will have 15 legislative days to act on CAFTA after the committee has filed its report accompanying the bill, CWA Chief Lobbyist Lou Gerber said. That is expected to happen shortly after Congress returns to work next week, with a vote on CAFTA possible in late July.
CAFTA, as CWA's legislative staff repeatedly told senators, would accelerate the loss of U.S. jobs brought on by the North American Free Trade Agreement, sending work to developing countries where workers earn only a few dollars a day and have little or no protection under the law.
"Over the next few weeks, we're asking CWA members to call, write and e-mail their representatives to implore them to vote against CAFTA," CWA President Morton Bahr said. "As the Senate vote illustrates, this is not a strictly party-line issue. There are Democrats we need to bring back to our side and Republicans who can be swayed to support American workers."
The Senate vote was 54-45 with 10 Democrats voting in favor of it and 12 Republicans voting against it. Prospects may be better in the House. Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi said more than 90 percent of House Democrats are opposed to CAFTA and that a large number of Republicans appear to be against it.
Senators who strongly agreed with CWA's position include Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.). During debate on the Senate floor he said, "Shouldn't we be doing trade agreements with countries that have labor standards? Shouldn't we decide on behalf of American workers that we care first and foremost about American workers?"
Senator John Kerry (D-Mass.), who voted for NAFTA in 1994, also argued against CAFTA, calling it "a giant step backward."
The Senate vote came on the heels of an Associated Press story revealing that the Bush Labor Department had kept secret several reports that show the Central American countries included in CAFTA have poor working conditions and fail to protect workers' rights.
"In practice, labor laws on the books in Central America are not sufficient to deter employers from violations, as actual sanctions for violations of the law are weak or nonexistent," the report from the International Labor Rights Fund said.
The Labor Department, which paid more than $700,000 for the study, instructed the ILRF to remove the reports from its website, ordered it to retrieve paper copies before they became public, banned release of new information from the reports and told the contractor it couldn't discuss the studies with outsiders.
The House Ways and Means Committee has sent the legislation, H.R. 3045, to the full House for debate and vote. Under fast-track rules for trade treaties, the House will have 15 legislative days to act on CAFTA after the committee has filed its report accompanying the bill, CWA Chief Lobbyist Lou Gerber said. That is expected to happen shortly after Congress returns to work next week, with a vote on CAFTA possible in late July.