McCain, Teamsters, and CAFTA
McCain, Teamsters, and CAFTA
Date: Wednesday, July 23, 2003 10:15 PM
JOB DESTRUCTION NEWSLETTER
www.ZaZona.com
Today I spoke to John McCain's staffer, Matt Riqunas. He said that
McCain will vote for the FTA. He emphasized that McCain totally
understands the immigration implications and thinks it's necessary to
bring in more nonimmigrants into the USA.
He also insisted that American workers will be protected. I explained
to him that American workers aren't protected now and will be even
worse off after the FTA is passed. I explained to him that even the DOL
says that companies don't have to give preference to American workers.
Riqunas immediately quipped back that companies cannot replace American
workers. He was wrong so I described to him why they can replace
Americans. Detailing the 90-day rule I told him that it only applies to
1% of the companies that were H-1B dependent. He was in stunned silence
for a very long time so I followed that by telling him that these FTA
agreements have no protections at all - in fact they are like a
renegade L-1 visa.
Riqunas lectured me that I just don't understand the law. We ended the
conversation when he told me that McCain feels that this FTA is good
for America.
Staffers and the politicians often try snow-jobs like the one I just
described. They often try to argue that Americans are protected - so be
prepared and don't let them get away with it. I strongly recommend
that you review the issues at these web pages before calling them:
http://www.zazona.com/shameh1b/H1BFAQs.htm
http://www.zazona.com/shameh1b/H1BLegal.htm
Here are a few other updates on where the politicians stand:
* Rep Dreier - Cal (from NumbersUSA)
The word we are getting here at NumbersUSA is that Dreier's office is
saying that the immigration provisions in the agreements must not be
much of a problem because they are hearing from hardly anybody about
them.
* Senator Kyl - Arizona
I haven't heard back from Kyl's office, but judging from the article
below he will vote for it. Kyl usually follows McCain's lead on
everything and so does every other Arizona politician. I expect Arizona
to vote unanimously for CAFTA.
* Senator Bill Nelson - Florida
I received an email from a Florida resident that Senator Bill Nelson
has not yet decided.
--- Status of CAFTA ---
It appears very likely that this FTA will be quickly approved by the
House and Senate.
--- Teamsters ---
Many of you are asking why the labor unions haven't done more. Read the
2nd article for to see what Hoffa has to say.
http://www.news-journal.com/news/content/news/ap_story.html/Washington/AP.V1146.AP-Congress-Trade.html
House Takes Up Trade Deals With Nations
By JIM ABRAMS
Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON (AP)--Chile and Singapore would join the select group of
nations enjoying free trade with the United States under agreements
portrayed by House supporters Wednesday as a path to economic
prosperity. Foes saw instead a road to millions of lost jobs.
Organized labor and its supporters strongly opposed the trade pacts
that were expected to win House approval, saying they lack the worker
and environmental protections laid down in a previous free trade
agreement with Jordan.
With House passage, and a Senate vote expected soon, Chile and
Singapore would join Mexico, Canada, Israel and Jordan as countries
free of restrictions on the flow of goods and services from and to the
United States.
Conclusion of the trade agreements would also shift the focus of U.S.
trade negotiators to far larger and more controversial plans to
establish free trade zones covering Central America, and, eventually,
the entire Western Hemisphere.
``This is a momentous occasion in our trade policy,'' said Rep. Jim
Kolbe, R-Ariz. For Latin America in particular, he said, ``it's the
litmus test to verify that the United States would not renege on its
commitment to the Western Hemisphere.''
But Teamsters President James P. Hoffa said on Capitol Hill Tuesday
that lawmakers who back the trade agreements could lose his union's
support. ``You are either with the American worker or against the
American worker. These agreements leave no room in the middle.''
Critics of trade agreements say that millions of manufacturing jobs
have been lost, and the U.S. trade deficit has multiplied 10 times,
since the 1993 North American Free Trade Agreement with Mexico and
Canada. Since then both the Clinton and Bush administration have pushed
to normalize trade with China, finalize the agreement with Jordan and
promote a new round of World Trade Organization talks. Last year
Congress narrowly voted to give Bush ``fast track'' authority to
negotiate new trade deals.
``These trade agreements continue to be an assault on middle America,''
Rep. George Miller, D-Calif., said.
One sticking point is language in both the Chile and Singapore
agreements that leaves it up to those countries to enforce labor and
environmental standards. Opponents said that is a step back from the
Jordan agreement, endorsed by labor groups because it commits Jordan to
abide by international standards.
That shouldn't be a problem in Chile and Singapore, countries with high
standards of living. But William Klinefelter, legislative and political
director of United Steelworkers of America, said it was ``particularly
alarming'' that the formulas in these two agreements could become
models for the Central America and Western Hemisphere trade proposals.
Under the deal with Chile, more than 85 percent of bilateral trade in
consumer and industrial products would become tariff-free immediately,
with most remaining tariffs eliminated within four years. American
farmers would gain duty-free treatment within four years for pork and
beef products, soybeans, durum wheat, potatoes and processed foods such
as french fries.
U.S.-Chile trade in goods and services totaled $8.8 billion in 2001,
with exports and imports in near balance.
Singapore is America's 12th largest trading partner, with two-way trade
nearing $40 billion last year. Trade in goods is already 99 percent
duty-free, so the agreement focuses on removing barriers to services
and investment. U.S. companies, which invested more than $27 billion in
Singapore in 2001, would receive the same treatment as local
Singaporean investors.
``It breaks new ground in areas such as e-commerce, intellectual
property rights, customs procedures and regulatory transparency,'' the
White House said in a statement.
___
The Chile agreement is H.R. 2738; the Singapore agreement is H.R. 2739.
http://dynamic.washtimes.com/print_story.cfm?StoryID=20030722-093659-3144r
Teamsters squeeze Democrats on free trade
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
Published July 23, 2003
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Teamsters President James P. Hoffa yesterday threatened to withhold
his union's financial and grass-roots support from Democrats who back
free-trade agreements with Chile and Singapore this week in Congress.
"You are either with us or against us," Mr. Hoffa said on Capitol
Hill. "You are either with the American worker or against the American
worker. These agreements leave no room in the middle."
The agreements, which will be voted on today in the House, would
add Chile and Singapore to a select group of nations that have
free-trade arrangements with the United States. Canada, Mexico, Israel
and Jordan already have such agreements.
The Bush administration hopes the Chile and Singapore deals will be
the first of a wave of free-trade agreements stretching around the
world.
"I believe strongly that free trade will create jobs and save
Americans money," Majority Leader Tom DeLay, Texas Republican, said
yesterday.
Both agreements are expected to pass the House and Senate with far
less opposition than the bitter battle that erupted over the pact with
Mexico a decade ago.
The Teamsters and many other unions are strongly opposed to trade
deals, which they say have eviscerated their membership. About 3
million U.S. jobs were lost between 1994 when the North American Free
Trade Agreement was implemented and 2000, according to the Economic
Policy Institute, a labor-supported think tank.
Mr. Hoffa, who spoke at a news conference with a handful of House
Democrats, said the upcoming vote would help determine Teamsters'
election endorsements. He said he was frustrated that many labor allies
in Congress do not understand the urgency of the vote.
"How much is it going to take to get your attention that America is
bleeding?" Mr. Hoffa said.
Unions, however, haven't had much success in thwarting trade votes
in Congress. President Bush won fast-track authority last year, which
allows the president to negotiate trade pacts that cannot be amended by
Congress.
The Chile and Singapore deals, the first under fast track, are
relatively small. Singapore ranked 16th with $14.8 billion in products
shipped to the United States last year, while U.S. imports from Chile
were even smaller at $3.8 billion, ranking it 36th.
Organized labor views those votes as tests for a much larger
target: a Free Trade Area of the Americas that would include 34 nations
in the Western Hemisphere.
"This is a wake-up call for both Democrats and Republicans who say
they are with labor," Mr. Hoffa said. "Today I tell them, if you want
to call yourself a friend of labor, you'd better start acting like a
friend of labor."
The Teamsters, with 1.4 million members, have one of the largest
political action committees, giving $2.4 million to candidates in the
2002 elections, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.
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Rob Sanchez is board member of NAEA - www.NAEA.US
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