Free Trade Agreements and Trade Policy

Over two years after the filing of the first labor complaint under CAFTA, the US government has agreed to take formal action against Guatemala.  On July 30, the US Department of Labor announced it had requested consultations with the government of Guatemala to address worker rights violations cited in a complaint filed

The Obama Administration has begun to push more aggressively to revive the Free Trade agenda of the Bush and Clinton Administrations, initiating negotiations for a new Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with nations bordering the Pacific Ocean and saying it will push for a vote on three pending FTAs negotiated by the Bush Administration, including Colombia.   The Administration is expected to

The International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) joined two Costa Rican unions this week to file a labor complaint against the Costa Rican government for failing to abide by the labor chapter of the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA).   It is only

Seven major U.S. unions, the Labor Council for Latin American Advancement (LCLAA), and the President of the AFL-CIO, Richard Trumka, signed onto a November 20 letter to the U.S. Congress supporting a call for a new U.S. policy towards Colombia. 

A U.S. congressional letter to Guatemalan President Alvaro Colom, initiated by Rep. Linda Sanchez, D-CA, urges President Colom to address worker rights violations and violence against trade unionists, issues that were raised in a CAFTA (Central America Free Trade Agreement) complaint filed last year by the AFL-CIO and six Guatemalan unions. The letter, which closed with 40 members of the House was sent July 10 (to see list, follow link at the end of this article).

Over 100 members of Congress have pledged support for a new approach to U.S. trade policy and new rules for the global economy. A growing list of cosponsors of the TRADE Act, introduced on June 24, 2009 by Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and Rep.

With the Obama Administration’s near-term trade agenda looking distressingly similar to that of the Bush Administration’s, worker rights advocates are gearing up for a fight against the Panama Free Trade Agreement (FTA) that could be brought to a vote in Congress this summer. 

Early indicators from the new Obama Administration on how far it will go in pushing for new rules for the global economy that would protect the rights of workers, consumers, farmers, and the environment have been mixed, offering both hope and concerns.  

A prominent human rights attorney was kidnapped on March 25 and tortured before being released.

Just days before George W. Bush left office, his Department of Labor ruled on the first worker rights complaint filed under the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA).