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Labor Questions Political Loyalties in CAFTA Vote
By a very narrow vote, 217-215, the House of Representatives handed President Bush a victory on the Central American Free Trade Agreement, but lawmakers who voted for the treaty may see a reprisal from organized labor when they run for reelection.
"Those Republicans who voted for CAFTA chose party loyalty and corporate bucks over their constituents," said AFL-CIO President John Sweeney. "Those Democrats who voted for CAFTA sided with big business over the working men and women who walked their neighborhoods, staffed their phone banks and worked hard to put them in office."
Those union volunteers included thousands of CWA members, who also sent e-mails to their members of Congress and attended rallies and other events to try to nix the NAFTA-like trade deal.
"By the closeness of the vote, it's apparent that we have made tremendous progress in bringing workers' rights to the center of the trade debate," said CWA Secretary-Treasurer Barbara Easterling, who heads the union's legislative efforts. "But representatives who voted for the job-killing CAFTA have made it extremely difficult for CWA members living in those districts to support them. It was made crystal clear to these members of Congress that CWA was watching this vote. They have some serious explaining to do to their constituents who they just sold down the river."
The usual 15-minute period allowed for voting expired at 11:17 p.m. on July 27, with "no" votes outnumbering "yes" votes by 180-175. But the Republican leadership extended the voting for another 47 minutes, pressuring members of their own party in order to railroad passage.
Holdouts against the treaty still included 27 Republicans, but 15 Democrats voted for passage.
Easterling also credited AFA-CWA Senior Government Affairs Representative David Martin, "for keeping our activists informed on the issue and consistently being on the Hill with our message."
"Those Republicans who voted for CAFTA chose party loyalty and corporate bucks over their constituents," said AFL-CIO President John Sweeney. "Those Democrats who voted for CAFTA sided with big business over the working men and women who walked their neighborhoods, staffed their phone banks and worked hard to put them in office."
Those union volunteers included thousands of CWA members, who also sent e-mails to their members of Congress and attended rallies and other events to try to nix the NAFTA-like trade deal.
"By the closeness of the vote, it's apparent that we have made tremendous progress in bringing workers' rights to the center of the trade debate," said CWA Secretary-Treasurer Barbara Easterling, who heads the union's legislative efforts. "But representatives who voted for the job-killing CAFTA have made it extremely difficult for CWA members living in those districts to support them. It was made crystal clear to these members of Congress that CWA was watching this vote. They have some serious explaining to do to their constituents who they just sold down the river."
The usual 15-minute period allowed for voting expired at 11:17 p.m. on July 27, with "no" votes outnumbering "yes" votes by 180-175. But the Republican leadership extended the voting for another 47 minutes, pressuring members of their own party in order to railroad passage.
Holdouts against the treaty still included 27 Republicans, but 15 Democrats voted for passage.
Easterling also credited AFA-CWA Senior Government Affairs Representative David Martin, "for keeping our activists informed on the issue and consistently being on the Hill with our message."