The Bush administration has done it again -- negotiated another unfair trade agreement that would have damaging consequences here at home as well as abroad. Today President Bush transmitted the Colombia free trade agreement (FTA) to Congress, and under fast track rules, this means that it must be voted on before the August Congressional recess. Congress can only vote a straight YES or NO and cannot make any amendments to the agreement. The Teamsters want good, job-creating trade policies and not more of the same job-killing trade agreements that the Bush administration continues to push through. While the labor chapter of the Colombia FTA is an improvement, the rest of the agreement is modeled off of the same flawed language found in the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA). NAFTA and CAFTA resulted in major job loss here at home, environmental degradation and the decimation of family farmers in other countries, and increased immigration to the U.S. We can only expect the results of the Colombia FTA to be the same. What is even more alarming is that Colombia remains the most dangerous place in the world to be a trade union activist. Since 1991, the National Labor School reports that 2,238 trade unionists were assassinated in Colombia, more than any other country in the world. Already this year, 11 trade unionists have been killed. The Colombian government has done very little to bring justice to these senseless killings, with only 68 convictions related to violence against trade union activists since 2001 according to the Office of the Colombian Attorney General. Trade unionists and their families in Colombia live in a climate of fear that makes it impossible for them to fully and confidently exercise their rights to organize, bargain collectively, go on strike, or criticize their government. This trade agreement is not "free." It comes at a huge cost for Americans and Colombians alike. For Americans, it means more losses in jobs and exports, decreased living standards for middle-class families, and a weaker domestic manufacturing base. For Colombians, it means more substandard wages, the destruction of their country's biodiversity, ruined livelihoods for family farmers, an increased pressure to emigrate, and no justice for the thousands of trade unionists already assassinated and those who continue to live in fear. We need your help! Please take a moment to call and/or send an e-mail to your members of Congress and let them know that if the Bush Administration forces a vote on the Colombia FTA, they must oppose it and ensure that it is defeated. U.S. workers do not want the Colombia FTA, and it is outrageous for anyone to even consider an FTA with the Colombian government in light of their impunity with regard to trade union assassinations in their country. Such impunity should not be rewarded with more access to the American market. A sample e-mail is provided below, and the Capitol switchboard can be reached at (202) 224-3121.

Sample Letter for Campaign

Dear [ Decision Maker ] ,

I am writing to urge you to oppose the U.S.-Colombia Free Trade Agreement (FTA) that the Bush administration has transmitted to Congress. This is yet another example of a job-killing trade agreement that will have damaging consequences both here at home and abroad.

While the labor chapter of the Colombia FTA is an improvement, the rest of the agreement is modeled off of the same flawed language found in the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA). NAFTA and CAFTA resulted in major job loss here at home, environmental degradation and the decimation of family farmers in other countries, and increased immigration to the U.S. We can only expect the results of the Colombia FTA to be the same.

Furthermore, it is reprehensible that this agreement was even negotiated when Colombia remains the most dangerous place in the world in which to be a trade union activist. According to the National Labor School, there have been 2,238 assassinations of trade unionists in Colombia since 1991, with 11 assassinations already this year. Due to ongoing assassinations and continuous threats of violence and death, trade unionists and their families live in a constant climate of fear that makes it impossible for them to fully and confidently exercise their rights to organize, bargain collectively, go on strike, or criticize their government. To make matters worse, the Colombian government has acted with total impunity and done very little to bring justice to these senseless killings, with only 68 convictions related to violence against trade union activists since 2001 according to the Office of the Colombian Attorney General.

This trade agreement is not "free." It comes at a huge cost for Americans and Colombians alike. For Americans, it means more losses in jobs and exports, decreased living standards for middle-class families, and a weaker domestic manufacturing base. For Colombians, it means more substandard wages, the destruction of their country's biodiversity, ruined livelihoods for family farmers, an increased pressure to emigrate, and no justice for the thousands of trade unionists already assassinated and those who continue to live in fear.

I ask you to make your opposition to the Colombia FTA heard today. Americans cannot afford more of these unfair, unbalanced trade agreements, and we should not be negotiating with a country that does not enforce international labor standards and dismisses assassinations of trade union activists. Please oppose the Colombia FTA today!

Sincerely,

Campaign Launched:
April 07, 2008