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Labor Protests Set for Miami Trade Talks November 13, 2003 While government officials prepare for talks in Miami to create one of the largest free trade zones in the world, union activists are mobilizing for a united stand against the proposed pact. "Another massive trade agreement will not be launched without the voice of labor ringing in the ears of delegates," said IBEW International President Edwin D. Hill. A massive rally and march is set for November 20 with expected attendance at 15,000 or more. If the Bush administration gets its way, the Free Trade Area of the Americas will be enacted by 2005. Labor advocates call the FTAA "NAFTA on steroids" for its incorporation of most of the Western Hemisphere into a new trade zone that includes the United States, Mexico and Canada as well as 31 additional countries in Central and South America. Like NAFTA 10 years ago, FTAA will be no friend to American workers, who have lost 2.5 million family-wage jobs during President Bushs tenure alone. The United States is running a $500 billion trade deficit, which reflects the flood of jobs being shipped overseas. "Workers concerned about losing jobs to countries with cheap labor and few environmental standards have no voice at the table with the FTAA," President Hill said. "Their only recourse is to stand outside the security perimeter and chant. But I have a feeling they will get our message." The message the IBEW and the mainstream labor movement are bringing to Miami is the need for fair rules for the international economy that protect business interests as well as internationally-recognized core workers rights, human rights, democracy and the environment. Labor leaders will join union members and retirees, community and other activists concerned about lop-sided trade policies. Along the demonstration route, marchers will display some of the hundreds of thousands of ballots they have collected against the FTAA. Click here to sign one. The November 20 march is envisioned as a peaceful, permitted exercise of free speech and labor organizers condemn the actions of some protesters who have in the past resorted to violence in a misguided bid for attention. Organizers hope the press will not allow the actions of a few demonstrators to down out the message of a larger movement. For more on the Miami event, click here for the Stop the FTAA portion of the AFL-CIOs web site.
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Labor Protests Set for Miami Trade Talks... November 13, 2003Stop FTAA—It’s the Wrong Choice... AFL-CIOPresident Hill's Message... September 2003U.S., Central American Labor Leaders Include Workers’ Rights in Trade Pact... January 2003 Secretary-Treasurer's Message...
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