CWA and AFL-CIO Ramp Up Fight Against Colombia Trade Deal

The battle for fair trade vs. free trade accelerated this week as President Bush sent his Colombia Free Trade Agreement to Congress, two Democratic candidates for president blasted the deal at CWA's Legislative-Political Conference and the AFL-CIO launched a telephone and e-mail campaign to convince lawmakers to reject the deal.

Under "fast track" rules, the House must vote the agreement up or down without amendment within 60 days. The Senate has 90 days in which to act.

"No free trade with Colombia while violence against trade unions continues," Sen. Hillary Clinton told CWA conference participants. "I will vote against it and I will do everything I can to get Congress to reject it," she added.

Sen. Barrack Obama also condemned the agreement. He applauded CWA President Larry Cohen "for the role he has played in making sure the whole world knows about the tragedy of how workers in Colombia are treated."

Accompanied by representatives of the AFL-CIO and the Steelworkers, Cohen last week briefed Senate staffers on Capitol Hill, telling them of the nearly 2,600 murders of unionists in Colombia over the last 20 years, calling for collective bargaining and organizing rights in any trade deal and demanding that it begin to address the United States' $725 billion trade deficit.

In an op-ed piece for USA Today this week, AFL-CIO President John Sweeney also condemned the Colombia FTA.

"Globalization is here," Sweeney noted. "What is left to decide is how globalization will impact ordinary people around the world. We have a choice. The test of trade should not be how much profit it generates. Trade should lift workers out of poverty and strengthen democracy. It should take place with countries that have the capacity to enforce human rights and environmental standards."

Thousands of CWA members have lost manufacturing jobs due to the international trade imbalance. You can tell your representative to vote "no" on the Colombia Free Trade Agreement by calling toll free (866) 338-5720 or by sending an e-mail from the website at www.unionvoice.org/campaign/no_colombia_trade_deal.