Take Action to Stop CAFTA!

Dear [ Decision Maker ] ,

I am writing to express my opposition to the proposed Central American Free Trade Agreement that is currently pending before congress. As a high-tech worker, I have seen first hand the negative impacts on workers and the communities that global trade agreements and competition have brought. High-tech workers in this country are facing a crisis with high rates of unemployment and seeing hundreds of thousands of our jobs sent overseas.

The high-tech industry has launched a major lobbying effort for the passage of CAFTA, with Microsoft leading the way. The industry claims CAFTA will boost exports, create jobs, and increase intellectual property protections.

However, a new report out called "The Real Pirates of the Caribbean: U.S. High-Tech Industry's False CAFTA Promises," found that despite industry arguments, sales to all CAFTA countries comprise little more than one percent of U.S. high-tech exports. Neither U.S. industry nor administration officials has identified high-tech piracy in Central America as a problem needing significant enforcement, but it is clear that after 11 years of NAFTA, the report documents Mexico's intellectual piracy problems have increased. It also found that CAFTA will create provisions at an international level that will further erode the rights and protections for inventors and innovators in the U.S in favor of multinational corporations.

As a tech worker I want to ensure fair working conditions and future opportunity in the industry. CAFTA will only further erode those values and I urge you to vote no against CAFTA.

Sincerely,

Campaign Launched:
May 10, 2005