US-Colombia FTA
Trade Deals Ignore Agricultural Impacts on Immigration
IATP, December 3, 2007. By R. Dennis Olson *
This week, Senate leaders have scheduled a vote on a Peru trade deal that would expand the failed NAFTA trade deregulation model further into Latin America. Ignoring the advice of freshmen Democrats, like Senator Sherrod Brown from Ohio, who ran successful election campaigns calling for an alternative trade policy, Congressional leaders Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi have made it a top priority to help Republicans pass pending trade agreements negotiated by President Bush.
Letter from Colombian Unions to US Congress
Bogotá, November 19, 2007
Honorable Senators and Representatives
Congress of the United States of America
Washington, D.C.
In the framework of the debate in the respective congresses around the ratification of the Free Trade Agreement between Colombia and the United States, the Administration of Alvaro Uribe Vélez has spread the idea in governmental circles in the United States that the Colombian union movement is divided and that "a majority" sector supports the TLC. In this document, we will demonstrate that this idea does not reflect the reality of the Colombian union movement.
AFL-CIO Reiterates Opposition to Free Trade Agreement with Colombia
On November 8, 2007, the AFL-CIO expressed continued opposition to the U.S.-Colombia Free Trade Agreement in a letter to Congress. The text of the letter below, or you can read the original letter as a pdf.
John Edwards Statement on Peru Trade Agreement
October 27, 2007
Today I am announcing my opposition to the Peru Trade Agreement negotiated by the Bush Administration and being considered for approval by Congress. Despite strong efforts by many Democrats in Congress, labor organizations and fair trade advocates to embed international labor standards into the Agreement, what resulted were references to general principles and not specific standards. And the Agreement still replicates and in fact expands all of the other most damaging aspects of past trade agreements. In short, this agreement does not meet my standard of putting American workers and communities first, ahead of the interests of the big multinational corporations, which for too long have rigged our trade policies for themselves and against American families.
Free trade must be fair trade
By Rep. Phil Hare (D-Il)*, www.politico.com, Sep 19, 2007
In baseball, if the pitcher on one team must throw off of a mound 90 feet from home plate while his opponent is allowed to stand 30 feet closer, that is an uneven playing field.
And if the umpire refuses to enforce any of the rules of the game, you have an all-around flawed process. The same fundamental principle goes for our trade policies — with much more serious consequences for the failure to require fairness.
The Pro-FTA Visit of U.S. Congresspersons to Colombia
RECALCA, Bogotá, September 12, 2007
Once again the Bush-Uribe administration has launched a propaganda offensive to pressure for approval of the FTA in the United States. Falling in step with what Bush has called a march in favor of business, Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-TX) has affirmed that the country must not turn its back on Latin America at this time, just as the Bush administration is struggling to stay afloat and most South American governments are questioning its policies. The “march†involves one more effort by the U.S. president to impose his legislative agenda on the Democrats. As part of this campaign, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Carlos Gutierrez will accompany twelve U.S. congresspersons who favor the FTA as they spend a day in MedellÃn after visiting Lima and Panama.
Canadian and Colombian Labour Jointly Reject Trade Talks
OTTAWA – July 16, 2007 – In a joint statement, the largest labour federations in Canada and Colombia reject the announced trade negotiations between Canada, Colombia and Peru as “an extreme free-market trade and investment model which guarantees the rights of investors over the human, social, economic, cultural and labour rights of its citizens.â€
tlc-log
Julio 5 de 2007
Negativa del TLC en congreso de E.U. obligarÃa a replantear relaciones con Estados Unidos
http://www.eltiempo.com/politica/2007-07-05/ARTICULO-WEB-NOTA_INTERIOR-3...
Miercoles Julio 4 de 2007
Bill Moyers talks with Lori Wallach
Why should people out there across the country pay attention to what's happening in Congress on trade right now? What-- what's at stake? Video and transcript.
Statement by AFL-CIO President John Sweeney on House Leadership Statement on Trade Policy
June 29, 2007
We welcome today’s clear commitment from Speaker Pelosi and the Democratic leadership to oppose flawed trade agreements with South Korea and Colombia and any renewal of fast track trade negotiating authority until we change our nation's trade policy to promote the interests of working people.