Tell Congress: Say "No" to Columbia Trade Deal

From the Working Families e-Activist Network, AFL-CIO:

President Bush is using his final months in office to push for a U.S.-Colombia Free Trade Agreement. But the Colombian government hasn’t done enough to protect the lives and rights of its workers.

An AFL-CIO delegation traveled to Colombia last week to hear firsthand the dangers faced by Colombian trade unionists. The group came to some troubling conclusions.

AFL-CIO Executive Vice President Emerita Linda Chavez-Thompson found that “there has been too little real progress in ending the brutality that trade unionists face in Colombia.” And not only do trade unionists have to operate in this climate of fear--the Colombian government has continued its policy of union-busting.

Balanced trade agreements must guarantee the right to organize, lift the lives of workers in both countries and prevent exploitation. But this can’t happen in a country where workers who try to organize are killed.

Click here to tell Congress to oppose the U.S.-Colombia trade deal until the lives and rights of Colombia’s union members are protected.

Last year, 40 trade unionists were murdered, and Colombia’s government hasn’t done enough to stop the killings.

Meanwhile, only about 1 percent of Colombian workers have union contracts. “It is the lowest rate in the hemisphere and among the worst in the world,” said Larry Cohen, president of the Communications Workers of America (CWA). “They are killing the unions, not just the union leaders.”

Colombian union leaders are opposed to a trade deal with the United States. These courageous advocates for workers’ rights want the Colombian government to take strong action to stop the violence against trade union members and end the government’s assaults on unions.

Please tell Congress to oppose a trade deal with Colombia until the lives and rights of Colombian workers are protected:

http://www.unionvoice.org/campaign/no_colombia_trade_deal

In solidarity,

Working Families e-Activist Network, AFL-CIO


This is the BFM Action Center blog. Blogging For Michigan is a progressive blog that features news and commentary on Michigan politics, policy, and social issues. Visit us at www.bloggingformichigan.com.