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Labor's Edge Articles by Tim Robertson
2/3/12
Activists Take on Secret Trans-Pacific Free Trade Agreement, Demand “Fair Deal or No Deal!”
As another round of behind-closed-door talks aimed at creating a massive new trade pact for the Pacific Rim took place in a posh Beverly Hills hotel on Wednesday, labor, environmental and public health advocates picketed outside to demand a voice for working people. During a press event and rally, they called on negotiators to release the negotiating texts, allow for greater public input and to ultimately deliver a "fair deal or no deal" on the Trans-Pacific Free Trade Agreement. Another rally is planned for today at the University of California – San Diego, the site of more negotiations.
10/5/11
Californians Fight Back on Job-Killing Free Trade Agreements
by Tim Robertson
Activists from around California are fighting back against three NAFTA-style Free Trade Agreements introduced in Congress on Monday. The deals, originally negotiated by President Bush in 2007, have drawn the ire of voters across party lines because they will cost U.S. jobs and challenge labor and environmental conditions in the U.S. and abroad.
The deals, with South Korea, Colombia, and Panama, are expected to have a vote in Congress within a week, but Californians are the key to stopping them, and they're standing up. Led by the California Labor Federation and the California Fair Trade Coalition, thousands of voters from around the state have already called their Members of Congress and thousands more are likely to do so over the next several days. You can join them now by calling 1-800-718-1008.
7/8/11
Californians Unite for Day of Action on Trade
by Tim Robertson
Californians from around the state are uniting for an online day of action to oppose the pending Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) with Colombia, South Korea, and Panama, a position shared by the California Democratic Party, the California Labor Federation, the AFL-CIO, the Sierra Club, and hundreds of other organizations. The event, hosted by the California Fair Trade Coalition, will put pressure on every Member of Congress in the state to oppose the deals, which are likely to see a ratification vote in Congress soon.
The FTAs, originally negotiated by President Bush in 2007, have faced constant pressure from opponents in Congress and a growing skepticism from the public, including 69% of Americans who believe free trade costs jobs. This isn't surprising, as a recent study has found that the U.S. economy lost 700,000 jobs due to NAFTA, with at least 2.4 million more lost due to liberalized trade to China. California alone has lost over 800,000 jobs due to bad trade policy.
5/23/11
California Fighting Back on Colombia Free Trade Act
by Tim Robertson
Since 2005, more than half the trade unionists murdered in the world have been killed in Colombia. That's more in Colombia alone than in the other 190+ countries combined. Just last year, 51 more trade unionists were murdered bringing the total since 1986 to over 2700. Unfortunately, President Obama is ignoring these facts to push for the long-stalled Colombia Free Trade Agreement, a relic of the Bush Administration, in a move that can only be seen as an affront to his union base.
Not only is Colombia the most dangerous place in the world for union activity, an implied complicity with Colombia's government, in particular the Department of Administrative Security (DAS), has led to an approximate 96% impunity rating. Could you imagine the U.S. response if over the course of 2010, there were one CEO murder per week in Colombia with little investigation and few convictions or punishments? It certainly wouldn't be to liberalize trade rules.
3/29/10
Keeping Jobs in California, Not China
by Tim Robertson
A new report by the Economic Policy Institute (EPI) has outlined our trade problems with China, the biggest trade cheater on the international scene to a stark reality. Between 2001 and 2007, the increasing U.S. trade deficit with China has cost Americans 2.3 million jobs.
This includes nearly 370,000 in California alone, a staggering 2.23% of the employment force. We need to fix the broken free trade system that allows countries like China to bend the rules to their own advantage.