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Members Urged to Act as Senate Takes Up Trade Bill
The fight for fair trade is now in the hands of the U.S. Senate, after a corporate-backed bill to give President George W. Bush “fast track” trading authority squeaked by in the House shortly before the lawmakers’ holiday recess.
If the bill passes the Senate, Bush will be able to negotiate trade pacts with no amendments from Congress. That includes the controversial Free Trade Area of the Americas agreement that has virtually no language protecting workers’ rights, pollution levels or community standards.
Labor leaders and environmental and social justice activists are calling on working families to let their senators know how devastating fast track would be to Americans, who stand to lose hundreds of thousands of jobs to cheap, unregulated labor in other countries.
“Unions support trade, but we demand fair trade pacts that protect workers here and abroad,” CWA President Morton Bahr said. “Fast track is nothing more than a blank check for America’s richest and most powerful corporations. It clears a path for FTAA and other trade deals to go forward with no concerns about the dire consequences for families and communities.”
Under fast track, Congress would only be able to vote yes or no on any trade pact. FTAA, described as “NAFTA on steroids,” would be the first. It covers 34 countries in North, South and Central America.
Hundreds of thousands of American workers have lost family-wage jobs since 1994 when the North American Free Trade Agreement made it easy for U.S. plants to pack up and move to Mexico, where companies don’t have to worry about living wages, workers’ rights, environmental standards or other community-friendly regulations.
How soon the Senate will vote on fast track wasn’t clear as the CWA News went to press. The House bill was cleared by the Senate Finance Committee in December by an 18-3 vote. However, amendments can be made from the floor. If the final Senate bill should differ significantly from the House bill, it would be sent to a conference committee then back to the House, where opponents would have a new chance to defeat it.
“We want to make it clear to the Senate that this bill is unacceptable,” Bahr said. “We need all of our members and their families to contact their senators to help us get this vital message across.”
Union families can use an AFL-CIO toll-free number to reach any member of Congress. Call 1-800-393-1082 and follow instructions, which include entering your zip code. You can send e-mails directly to individual senators by going to CWA’s legislative/political website at www.cwa-legis-pol.org.
If the bill passes the Senate, Bush will be able to negotiate trade pacts with no amendments from Congress. That includes the controversial Free Trade Area of the Americas agreement that has virtually no language protecting workers’ rights, pollution levels or community standards.
Labor leaders and environmental and social justice activists are calling on working families to let their senators know how devastating fast track would be to Americans, who stand to lose hundreds of thousands of jobs to cheap, unregulated labor in other countries.
“Unions support trade, but we demand fair trade pacts that protect workers here and abroad,” CWA President Morton Bahr said. “Fast track is nothing more than a blank check for America’s richest and most powerful corporations. It clears a path for FTAA and other trade deals to go forward with no concerns about the dire consequences for families and communities.”
Under fast track, Congress would only be able to vote yes or no on any trade pact. FTAA, described as “NAFTA on steroids,” would be the first. It covers 34 countries in North, South and Central America.
Hundreds of thousands of American workers have lost family-wage jobs since 1994 when the North American Free Trade Agreement made it easy for U.S. plants to pack up and move to Mexico, where companies don’t have to worry about living wages, workers’ rights, environmental standards or other community-friendly regulations.
How soon the Senate will vote on fast track wasn’t clear as the CWA News went to press. The House bill was cleared by the Senate Finance Committee in December by an 18-3 vote. However, amendments can be made from the floor. If the final Senate bill should differ significantly from the House bill, it would be sent to a conference committee then back to the House, where opponents would have a new chance to defeat it.
“We want to make it clear to the Senate that this bill is unacceptable,” Bahr said. “We need all of our members and their families to contact their senators to help us get this vital message across.”
Union families can use an AFL-CIO toll-free number to reach any member of Congress. Call 1-800-393-1082 and follow instructions, which include entering your zip code. You can send e-mails directly to individual senators by going to CWA’s legislative/political website at www.cwa-legis-pol.org.