Call Your Members of Congress!

Directions for calling your Members of Congress and a sample call-in script.

Call your members of Congress (call *1-866-338-5720 *) and ask the capitol switchboard operator to connect you to one of your member's office.

***If you don't know who your members are, go to www.congress.gov. Be sure to find out who both your senators are in addition to your House representative, and call all three.***

Ask to speak with the person who handles trade (this may be the foreign policy aid or may be someone else).


Here is a sample call script, but feel free to emphasize the issues that are important to you:

"Hello, my name is ________________ and I'm calling from___(neighborhood, organization, union, etc)___ to express my concern about the rights of flower workers in Colombia and the Free Trade Agreement the US has negotiated with Colombia.

Flowers from Colombia are one of the biggest recipients of U.S. trade benefits, and by U.S. law, these trade benefits require qualifying countries to take steps on worker rights. But flower workers in Colombia, most of whom are women, earn poverty-level wages, are exposed to dangerous pesticides, and are prevented from organizing independent unions to defend their basic rights. In addition, Colombia is the most dangerous country in the world to be a trade unionist. The proposed Free Trade Agreement with Colombia fails to provide adequate language for protecting and enforcing workers rights.

I urge you to oppose this agreement until the rights of flower workers are respected and a new model can be developed that supports worker rights, both at home and abroad.

Thank you for your time."