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political action archives

Trading In A New Direction

July 13, 2007

When the trade policies of the world's most powerful nation are broken, executives of huge corporations reap the benefits. But who loses? Everyone else.

Nobody learned that lesson better than Michigan's working families. Seven of the 20 cities in the U.S. with the highest unemployment are in Michigan.

Right now, the trade policies of the United States are miserably out of date and structured so the interests of working Americans are not looked after. Our nation's current policies are dangerously destructive to the working men and women of this country, and can be felt around the world. The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and every "free trade" clone that has followed have wreaked havoc in a number of ways. The flight of jobs from the United States and the undermining of the domestic economy, environmental standards and health policies are only the beginning.

The mission of the Teamsters Union is to protect the rights of working people. We always fight for what we believe in and we always will. We will fight to the bitter end to protect the interests of this country's working families. We fought for years against the Republican-controlled Congress on a variety issues, including trade policy reform. We fought for our political allies across the country to get them elected during the midterm elections in November 2006—a battle that we won.

Our mission does not change, no matter who is in office. We are working with members of Congress on righting the wrongs of the past decade's misguided trade policies. Right now, the Democratic leadership has stepped up to announce their opposition to the South Korea and Colombia Free Trade Agreements (FTAs). They also have decided to reject an extension of "Fast Track" presidential trade negotiating authority. The Teamsters Union strongly opposes every current "free" trade agreement in line for Congressional consideration—this includes the Peru, Panama, South Korea, and Colombia FTAs. There is something inherently wrong with trade agreements that weaken our economy and cost jobs, and that is exactly what each and every one of these FTAs will do.

Even with the Democratic majority standing up for change on these issues, I am concerned that Congress is still continuing down the dangerous path that leads to passage of trade agreements like the Peru and Panama FTA. Even with much-improved labor and environmental chapters, the agreement is modeled after NAFTA, a failure by any measure.

Before the Peru-Panama FTA "deal," much of President Bush's agenda was already in deep trouble. The administration's quest for new blank check Fast Track authority is comical, since the Democratic Congress has vowed to restrain Bush's abuses of power. The South Korea Free Trade Agreement, which was just signed, contains all of the problems of NAFTA. U.S. negotiators also did such a poor job on its commercial terms that it is opposed by many large corporations and is on life support.

The prospects for Bush's proposed Free Trade Agreement with Colombia are dimmed with every new revelation of the Uribe government's links to right wing death squads. Already, the deal faces nearly universal opposition given the assassination of more than 400 labor unionists during the Uribe regime.

The Teamsters Union stands ready to again take up the fight for fair trade agreements. It is not a pleasant task to fight against the Democratic leadership we worked so hard to put in office. However, the prospect of Congress passing more of the same ill-conceived trade agreements is unacceptable and we will do whatever it takes to protect the future of the middle class.

More than 3 million manufacturing jobs—one out of every six—have been lost during the NAFTA-World Trade Organization era. While American workers' productivity has soared, real median wages remain flat at 1970s levels as the NAFTA-WTO globalization model subjects U.S. workers to a global labor arbitrage where the clearing price is the misery of $1-per-day wages. Meanwhile, our current trade model has resulted in a nearly $800 billion trade deficit which, at 6 percent of our national income, threatens U.S. and world economic stability.

The entire system must be fixed. Whether it's NAFTA, CAFTA or the proposed Peru and Panama free trade agreements, they must not be allowed to continue to erode our economy. It is the responsibility of this Congress to act in the best interest of its constituents.

The column originally appeared in The Detroit News on July 13, 2007

The Employee Free Choice Act

The Employee Free Choice Act will strengthen workers' rights and hold anti-union employers accountable. When Congress passes this important legislation, tougher penalties will be in place to protect workers whose rights are violated. Workers would have a fair, simple, direct method for organizing unions. And employers would be forced to stop dragging out contract negotiations for years and years. To learn more about The Employee Free Choice Act, and to contact your representatives please visit: http://tinyurl.com/3aw8pw

Working to kill America

By Dimitri Vassilaros of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
Reprinted with permission

For the morbidly curious, please go online (www.spp.gov) to see the end of America.

The Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America, "a trilateral effort to increase security and enhance prosperity among the United States, Canada and Mexico through greater cooperation and information sharing," was launched March 2005 -- in Texas. The premise of the near-treason is that the SPP hopes to unite this republic, Mexico and Canada in a near-suicide pact; that the security and prosperity of the gang of three are mutually dependent and complementary; and that the SPP supposedly will reflect the "shared belief" in freedom, economic opportunity and strong democratic values and institutions.

And yet Mexico is part of this.

The hope is that any agreement will help "consolidate" the SPP action into a North American framework confronting "security and economic challenges, and promote the full potential of our people, addressing disparities and increasing opportunities for all."

At one of the SPP meetings this year, the representatives of the three countries included Sergio Garcia de Alba, Carlos Gutierrez and Maxime Bernier. For anyone unfamiliar with the person representing America, who happens to be the U.S. secretary of Commerce, here's a hint. Mr. Gutierrez was born in a Spanish-speaking country and lived there for seven years before his family emigrated from Cuba to America. He became the youngest CEO in the history of the Kellogg Co.

There is at least one reference to the U.S. Constitution, in the "Myths vs. Facts" section. The "myth" is that the SPP is illegal and violates the U.S. Constitution. The "fact," according to the SPP, is that the SPP scheme "in no way violates the Constitution."

It violates it in darn most every way. Where in that once-relevant document do the American citizens authorize Mexico and Canada to confront American security and economic challenges? Since when are those issues -- or any other ones affecting America -- the business of any country but ours?

"Addressing disparities"? Where is the authorization for that in the Constitution? Especially when the disparity includes foreign governments? Since Americans are at the top of the "disparities" food chain, what exactly is the problem?

If Mexico and Canada are concerned about the disparities between Americans and their citizens, whose problem is that?

That might explain what was in the "Prosperity" section, subtitled "Temporary Work Entry," of a 2005 SPP report.

"The three countries have forwarded a trilateral document setting out each country's domestic procedures to modify NAFTA's temporary entry appendix on professionals to the NAFTA Free Trade Commission for approval.

"This will clarify procedures in each country, thereby providing a mechanism for more North American professionals to be given temporary entry." How many American "professionals" are clamoring for temporary entry to Mexico? To Canada? The defenseless borders policy of President George W. Bush is giving virtually unlimited access to Mexican professionals and every other Mexican with enough money to hire a "coyote" to guide him into the promised land, whether the entry be temporary or, for 99.9999 percent of the illegals, permanent.

Why would one need a crystal ball since America's fate is spelled out and sealed by the Security and Prosperity Partnership?

Dimitri Vassilaros is a Trib editorial page columnist. His column appears Sundays, Mondays and Fridays. Call him at 412-380-5637. E-mail him at dvassilaros@tribweb.com.