Don’t Pass Colombia Deal Until Real Changes Are Made
The AFL-CIO remains strongly opposed to the proposed U.S.-Colombia Free Trade Agreement “until Colombia takes sustained, meaningful, and measurable action to change the culture of violence that plagues those who work to better their lives,” AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka said in a letter to Congress yesterday.
Although the administration of Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos has abandoned the heated, anti-union rhetoric of his predecessor and has engaged in apparently good-faith efforts to improve the environment for working men and women, Trumka says, Colombia is still the most dangerous place in the world for union members.
The 51 trade unionists killed in 2010 represented an increase over the murders of trade unionists in 2009 and 17 have been killed in 2011, including 10 just since the announcement of the Obama administration’s “Labor Action Plan,” in April.
ITUC Survey: Colombia Still the Most Dangerous Place for Union Members
Colombia is still the deadliest country in the world for trade union members, according to the latest global Annual Survey of violation of trade union rights released yesterday by the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC).
The survey, conducted across 143 countries, paints a picture of people fighting for greater economic rights and freedom to join a union, with many governments and corporations responding with repression, firings, violence, death threats and murder.
Last year, 90 trade union members were murdered, 49 in Colombia alone, according to the survey. Another 75 trade unionists received death threats. At least 2,500 were arrested and at least 5,000 were fired because of union activities.
The AFL-CIO vigorously opposes the proposed free trade agreement with Colombia so long as the “horrifying levels of labor and human rights violations in the country” continue.
Union Leaders Give Chavez-Thompson ‘Full Support’ in Texas Lt. Gov. Race
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Linda Chavez-Thompson, AFL-CIO executive vice president emerita, and candidate for the Democratic nomination for lieutenant governor of Texas, “is a tireless advocate for civil, human, women’s and worker rights,” says the AFL-CIO Executive Committee in a statement expressing its full support for her run.
Meeting yesterday in Washington, D.C., union leaders praised Chavez-Thompson as
one of America’s most revered and respected labor leaders….A little over two years after retiring from the AFL-CIO, she has decided to take her four decades of experience to another level to help working families in the state of Texas.
In the March 2 primary, she is running against Democratic candidates Ronnie Earle, a former county district attorney, and Austin delicatessen owner Marc Katz.
Chavez-Thompson Running for Lt. Gov. of Texas
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Big shout out to AFL-CIO Executive Vice President Emerita Linda Chavez-Thompson who yesterday announced her candidacy for lieutenant governor of Texas, her home state.
The “Draft Linda” movement swept through Texas, pulling our much-admired former executive vice president out of semi-retirement and onto the Democratic Party slate for state leadership. The first hurdle is the March 2 primary, where she will run against Democratic candidates Ronnie Earle, a former county district attorney, and Austin delicatessen owner Marc Katz.
Ed Sills, communications director of the Texas AFL-CIO, says at her campaign launch, Chavez-Thompson’s campaign made it clear she is running to make changes in Texas, not against the Democratic opponents:
Chavez-Thompson discussed her journey from the cotton fields of West Texas to national office in the labor movement and how the hard work and leadership skills that drove her will translate to a state leadership role. She spoke of the need to emphasize education, health care and other basic priorities.
Ignoring Murders of Colombian Unionists, Bush Set to Honor Uribe
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| President Bush couldn’t reward murder with a trade deal. Now he’s rewarding Colombian President Uribe with a medal. |
In a final flip-off to human rights activists, international trade unionists and Colombian workers, President Bush will award the United States’ highest civilian honor—the Presidential Medal of Freedom—to Colombian President Alvaro Uribe. Colombia is the deadliest nation in the world for trade unionists.
White House Press Secretary Dana Perino said Bush was awarding Uribe and two other honorees for:
their work to improve the lives of their citizens and for their efforts to promote democracy, human rights and peace abroad.
How’s this for Uribe’s work for “human rights and peace”?
Nearly 500 trade unionists have been murdered there since he took office in 2002. Since 1986, more than 2,600 Colombian trade unionists have been murdered: however, only a small fraction of those responsible for the crimes have been arrested, prosecuted and convicted.
Bush has long sought to win a U.S. Colombia-Free Trade Agreement for his close ally Uribe. But the AFL-CIO and a broad coalition of unions, human rights, environmental, religious and other groups have been able to mobilize enough opposition to derail Bush’s plan to Fast Track the agreement through Congress.
We all agree there should be no trade agreement until real progress is made to protect the rights and lives of trade unionists. In other words: Don’t Reward Murder.
Human Rights Watch Confirms Colombia Not Ready for Trade Deal with U.S.
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Despite the Bush administration’s repeated attempts to push through Congress a U.S.-Colombia Free Trade Agreement (FTA) this year, the reality is that Colombia has not stemmed the violence against trade unionists or brought those responsible to justice.
In short, Colombia has a long way to go before a free trade pact should be considered.
The head of Human Rights Watch recently wrote three top House leaders urging them to remain steadfast in insisting that Colombia clean up its act before approving any new trade deal. In the letter, Human Rights Watch Executive Director Kenneth Roth says:
Free trade should be premised on fundamental respect for human rights, especially the rights of the workers producing the goods to be traded. In Colombia, workers cannot exercise their rights without fear of being threatened or killed.
