U.S. unions say they'll fight U.S.-Colombia trade deal

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Reuters

U.S. unions say they'll fight U.S.-Colombia trade deal
By Doug Palmer

WASHINGTON | Wed Jan 26, 2011 4:14pm EST

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. labor groups will fight any attempt by President Barack Obama to strike a deal with Republicans for approval of a free trade pact with Colombia, an AFL-CIO official said on Wednesday.

"It's our position that Colombia still has quite a long way to go to really tackle questions of violence and threats of violence against trade unionists," said Jeff Vogt, deputy director of the 12.2 million-member labor federation's international department.

"I think we'd be vociferously opposed (if Obama submitted the agreement to Congress). Colombia continues to be such a bad actor on the labor and human rights," Vogt said.

Since his Democratic Party lost control of the House of Representatives and a number of seats in the Senate, Obama has come under increased pressure from Republicans to submit for congressional votes three trade deals left over from former President George W. Bush's administration.

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE70P8EP20110126?rpc=401&feedType=RSS&feedName=politicsNews&rpc=401

[Judi Lynn]

1. Baucus, now out of the Senate, is pushing the agreement.

Baucus rips Obama for not providing trade agreement timeline
By Erik Wasson - 01/26/11 03:19 PM ET

Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.), whose committee oversees trade agreements, on Wednesday ripped President Obama for failing to give a timeline for congressional approval of trade deals in his State of the Union address.

Baucus wanted the president to announce a schedule for submitting the stalled trade pacts with Colombia and Panama to Congress for approval.

“Our free trade agreements with Colombia and Panama were signed more than three and a half years ago, so it’s extremely disappointing the president did not lay out a timeline for submitting them to Congress,” Baucus said.

“The delay has been costly for our ranchers, farmers and businesses, who are losing business to competitors from countries that have negotiated their own trade agreements with these fast-growing markets. To help Americans export their goods and services and create jobs here at home, it is time to quickly resolve any outstanding issues and send these agreements to Congress as soon as possible,” he added.

In the State of the Union, Obama called for approval of the renegotiated deal with South Korea, but only said he is committed to improving the other two FTAs.

More:
http://thehill.com/blogs/on-the-money/1005-trade/140507-baucus-rips-obama-for-not-providing-trade-agreement-timeline

Baucus needs to remember whose traditional ally the Democratic Party has been, throughout history.

[Joanne98]

2. U.S. unions say they'll fight U.S.-Colombia trade deal

Source: Reuters

(Reuters) - U.S. labor groups will fight any attempt by President Barack Obama to strike a deal with Republicans for approval of a free trade pact with Colombia, an AFL-CIO official said on Wednesday.

"It's our position that Colombia still has quite a long way to go to really tackle questions of violence and threats of violence against trade unionists," said Jeff Vogt, deputy director of the 12.2 million-member labor federation's international department.

"I think we'd be vociferously opposed (if Obama submitted the agreement to Congress). Colombia continues to be such a bad actor on the labor and human rights," Vogt said.

Since his Democratic Party lost control of the House of Representatives and a number of seats in the Senate, Obama has come under increased pressure from Republicans to submit for congressional votes three trade deals left over from former President George W. Bush's administration.



Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE70P8EP20110126

[ck4829]

3. You'll not only lose your job, the sap who gets it has a boss who runs a death squad on the side

Why do labor groups want to oppose this? :sarcasm:

[patrice]

4. They need to tell us how we, non-union, can help. nt

[bread_and_roses]

8. Go to "Working America" (link below) - AFL-CIO Community Affiliate

Working America is the community affiliate of the AFL-CIO:

http://www.workingamerica.org/

Working America, community affiliate of the AFL-CIO, is a powerful force for working people. We combine the strength of 10 million union men and women and millions of workers without the benefit of a workplace union who share common challenges and goals to fight in communities, states and nationally for what really matters--good jobs, affordable health care, world-class education, secure retirements, real homeland security and more.

We work against wrong-headed priorities favoring the rich and corporate special interests over America's well-being...

[EFerrari]

5. No trade deals with torturers. n/t

[No Elephants]

9. Does extraordinary rendition count?

[Peace Patriot]

6. If Colombia has to come up to U.S. standards on prosecuting war criminals, associated death squad

murderers, and torturers of prisoners, and on prosecuting other oppressive crimes such as illegal domestic spying and mass displacement of the poor by state terror, then Colombia should be a shoo-in. There are no standards to come up to, and the Scumbag Congress can just go ahead and do whatever Diebold/ES&S intended for them to do. What's the problem?

Another solution might be for the U.S. to coddle and protect the Colombian perps, especially the big perps, like Alvaro Uribe, and extradite death squad witnesses to the U.S. on mere drug charges and "bury" them in the U.S. federal prison system by completely sealing their cases in U.S. federal court in Washington DC--out of the reach of Colombian prosecutors and over their objections--and then they can arrange easy, overnight, instant asylum, in another U.S. client state, like Panama, for the major illegal spying witnesses against Uribe--also out of reach of Colombian prosecutors and over their objections. That way, we needn't about worry who commanded this reign of terror in Colombia nor about their puppetmasters in Washington and U.S. "free trade for the rich" can commence unimpeded. They could even give Uribe posh academic sinecures teaching international (ahem...) law at Harvard and Georgetown, and a seat on a prestigious international legal commission. That would really seal the thing up. Or Obama just could get down to it and say, "We need to look forward not backward." The Scumbag Congress would understand and any lingering labor Democrats that Dieobld/ES&S missed can be taken care of in the next selection cycle.

Problem solved!

[midnight]

7. K&R for the working people...

[No Elephants]

10. Just say no.