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Stop the Colombia Free Trade Agreement
Despite widespread opposition to the Colombia Free Trade Agreement in the United States and Colombia, President Bush has sent the agreement to Congress, trying to force a vote before he leaves office. Take action now and tell your Representative to vote NO on the Colombia FTA.
The deal is wrong for workers in both countries. The Colombia FTA represents a continuation of the Bush administration’s failed trade policies, an agenda that has contributed to the loss of more than 3 million manufacturing jobs since 2000, skyrocketing trade deficits, and shrinking paychecks for US workers. Colombia remains the most dangerous country in the world for union members—39 trade unionists were murdered in 2007 and another 17 to date in 2008, according to a recent study by the AFL-CIO.
| Sample Letter for Campaign |
Subject: Vote No on Colombia FTA
Dear [ Decision Maker ] ,
I write to urge you to vote NO on the Colombia Free Trade Agreement. Colombia is the most dangerous country in the world for trade unionists, with over 2,000 union leaders and members murdered there since 1991. The government of Colombia ignores and violates workers' rights, and Colombian courts have found ties between high ranking government officials and the deadly paramilitary forces.
This model of trade agreements has already proven to be bad for workers. NAFTA and CAFTA have been devastating for workers in the U.S. and Latin America. Over 3 million U.S. manufacturing jobs have been lost since 2000. In Mexico, over 2 million farmers have been displaced from their land since the implementation of NAFTA in 1994. Mexicans and Central Americans who are losing their jobs due to U.S. trade policy often find no other option than to come to the United States looking for work, yet U.S. immigration policy turns its back on those workers displaced by NAFTA and CAFTA. Meanwhile, U.S. workers who lose their jobs to "free trade" have also been abandoned.
It is time to change the direction of U.S. trade policy. Workers in the U.S. and Latin America need fair trade, not free trade agreements that undermine worker and environmental protections. Again, I urge you to take a stand for justice and workers rights everywhere by voting NO on the Colombia FTA.
Sincerely,
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Campaign Launched:
April 10, 2008
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Act now to stop the Colombia FTA and build the movement for global justice now.
1) Write to your Congressional Representative telling them to oppose the Colombia FTA. (More info below)
2) Help Jobs with Justice stop the "Global Race to the Bottom" at the national conference in Providence, RI. On Friday May 2, join us for a half-day issue forum on "The Global Race To the Bottom: Trade and Migration." This forum will explore links between global justice, trade, and immigrant rights campaigns, and we will work to develop strategies for building the movement for fair trade and just immigration policies. Register now and join JwJ in Providence!
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Colombia's government has thwarted workers' right to organize and bargain collectively—by weakening labor protections, refusing to register legitimate unions and failing to enforce the law against anti-union discrimination. The Colombia FTA extends NAFTA and CAFTA, so-called "free trade" agreements that have already undermined workers rights and environmental protections for U.S., Canadian, Mexican, and Central American workers.
U.S. and Colombian workers need agreements that guarantee the right to organize and improve living and working conditions for all workers. This agreement does none of that. Join Jobs with Justice in demanding fair trade and an end to the global race to the bottom.
For more information, see:
"Discover the Real Colombia," from USW: www.usw.org/usw/program/content/4486.php
Colombia FTA Fact Sheet from the AFL-CIO http://www.aflcio.org/issues/jobseconomy/globaleconomy/upload/colombia_factsheet.pdf
Anti-Colombia FTA flyer from CTW http://www.changetowin.org/fileadmin/pdf/CtW_Colombia_FTA_Roll_Call_Ad_03-12-08_final.pdf
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