Greetings,

Ask Texas Representative to Vote "No" on the Oman Trade Treaty!

Again placing America second in the NAFTA/CAFTA "free trade" game, Congress is about to embark on a trade treaty with Oman that promises more of the same disregard for conditions for workers around the world.

Please call Democratic members of Congress from Texas who have not committed to oppose the Oman Free Trade Agreement and ask them to vote "no".

Like NAFTA and CAFTA, the proposed Oman FTA negotiated by the Bush administration pays scant attention to working Americans.  The proposed deal includes no obligation for the governments to meet international standards for worker rights.  Like NAFTA and CAFTA, the agreement worsens a cheap-import policy that races to the bottom of world labor standards.  And like NAFTA and CAFTA, the deal threatens the ability of the U.S. government to enact laws that are in the interests of workers and consumers.

The Texas Fair Trade Coalition reports, "Abuse of foreign workers, including forced labor, non-payment of minimum wage, and even physical and sexual violence, are known occurrences in Oman, and yet the Government has not adequately enforced its own laws forbidding such practices."

The coalition lists the following Democrats as undecided on the proposed treaty:

U.S. Rep. Charlie Gonzalez:  202-225-3236

U.S. Rep. Chet Edwards:  202-225-6105

U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee:  202-225-3816

U.S. Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson:  202-225-8885

U.S. Rep. Silvestre Reyes:  202-225-4831

U.S. Rep. Solomon Ortiz:  202-225-7742

U.S. Ruben Hinojosa:  202-225-2531

U.S. Henry Cuellar:  202-225-1640

Please call these lawmakers and urge them to oppose the Oman Free Trade Agreement and demand a reworked version that includes enforceable worker rights provisions.