Mexican Leaders Call for Solidarity Against Injustices
Brenda Loya in AFL-CIO Media Affairs sends us this report.
Mexican independent union leaders traveled to Washington, D.C., to brief, educate and express urgency to congressional leaders on the labor struggles and issues they’re currently facing in Mexico. Members of the Mexican Electrical Workers’ Union (SME) have remained in Mexico City’s main square (Zocalo) for the past six months, demanding justice over the administration’s war on unions. The government fired the SME’s 44,000 members in October 2009 and over the past two years, the fight over the privatization of electricity and the repression of one of Mexico’s oldest and most democratic unions has escalated. The briefing shed light on this ongoing struggle and the need for U.S. solidarity.
Sponsored by the United Steelworkers (USW), the AFL-CIO and Rep. Mike Michaud (D-Maine) on behalf of the Congressional Labor Caucus and International Worker Rights Caucus, the briefing focused on cross-border economic, social and family ties that bind the United States and Mexico. Mexican workers shared stories of how workers’ rights in Mexico have diminished since the approval of NAFTA. With the pending Colombia, Panama and Korea trade agreements in mind, workers emphasized that NAFTA and free trade agreements lower living standards for both U.S. and Mexican workers and have increased violence.
AFL-CIO on Colombian Labor and Human Rights
The AFL-CIO issued this statement today on the congressional benchmark document on Colombian labor and human rights.
The Colombian Labor and Human Rights document released by Reps. Jim McGovern, George Miller, Rosa DeLauro, Mike Michaud, Jan Schakowsky and Linda Sanchez is a detailed, thoughtful, and powerful document.
We thank these representatives for their tireless efforts to outline the numerous essential steps that must be taken, on the ground in Colombia, before the U.S.-Colombia trade deal should be considered by Congress. We hope that the Obama administration will insist that the Colombian government comply with all the recommendations contained in the letter, especially those that focus on ending violence and impunity and undertaking comprehensive labor law reform prior to sending the agreement to Congress.
China Currency Bill: ‘Major Step’ Forward
Bipartisan legislation to address “egregious and ongoing” currency manipulation by China and other nations is a major step in the fight for good jobs and fair trade, AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka said.
The Currency Exchange Rate Oversight Reform Act of 2010 was introduced today by Democrat Sens. Charles Schumer (N.Y.) Debbie Stabenow (Mich.) and Republican Sens. Lindsey Graham (S.C.) and Olympia Snowe (Maine), with 10 other co-sponsors. In a statement, Trumka said:
At a time when America’s working families need good jobs now, the illegal undervaluation of currency, by China and other governments, has spelled the loss of millions of American manufacturing jobs.
The U.S. Treasury Department for years has refused to cite China’s government for currency manipulation, which would set off a process by which the administration can impose trade penalties. The legislation would bring the Treasury definitions more in line with International Monetary Fund guidelines, making it easier to determine currency manipulation. The bill also provides meaningful sanctions, including countervailing duties or tariffs, if currency negotiations fail.
TRADE Act Would Overhaul Bad Trade Policy
Today, a bipartisan group in Congress said they will reintroduce a major legislative overhaul of the nation’s failed trade policies to put good jobs at the center of a coherent global economic strategy.
The Trade Reform, Accountability, Development and Employment (TRADE) Act, which has 106 co-sponsors, was first introduced last year but did not come to the floor. It would require a review of existing trade agreements, establish standards for future trade agreements, protect workers’ rights and help restore congressional oversight of trade agreements.
Rally in Pittsburgh, Roundtable in Madison and More Action on Employee Free Choice
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This week, state and local unions around the country mobilized to pass the Employee Free Choice Act to restore the freedom to form unions and bargain and make the economy work for everyone.
In Pennsylvania, workers gathered in Pittsburgh to support the Employee Free Choice Act and highlight a new report that shows how much workers in each state would stand to gain in wages if the act passed and how more workers could form unions. In Pennsylvania, an increase in the rate of union membership of just 5 percent would increase total wages by $852 million.
Economist Mark Price spoke at the Pittsburgh rally, where he pointed out that restoring bargaining power to workers was essential to creating a balance between workers and corporations and rebuilding the middle class. During the midcentury expansion of the U.S. economy, Price said, strong levels of union membership ensured that ”when workers were more productive,” their work generated more wealth, that wealth would show up in their paychecks.
The Pittsburgh rally also featured workers like Keli Vereb, a member of United Steelworkers (USW) Local 1408, who talked about what union membership has meant to her family: a fair wage, good benefits and the opportunity to send her daughter to college.
