Trade Campaigns

U.S.-Colombian Free Trade Agreement

The U.S. and Colombia signed a Free Trade Agreement in 2006. Because of the high level of violence against trade unionists in Colombia, this agreement is particularly controversial and not brought to a vote in 2007 or 2008 despite a major push by the Bush Administration and business lobbyists.  The Obama Administration announced at the end of February 2009 that it would set benchmarks for Colombia before moving the agreement for a vote.  Click the link above to learn more and take action on this important issue.

"Fast Track" Trade Authority

Under "Fast Track," Congress is not able to make amendments to trade agreements. The Administration negotiates the terms of the agreement and Congress can only approve or reject an agreement as negotiated. On June 30, 2007, Congress alllowed "fast track" to expire. Without "fast track," it is considered nearly impossible for an Administration to negotiate and pass new trade agreements. Eventual renewal of "fast track" will effectively set U.S. policy on key rules for the global economy in the next round of trade agreements. Clink on the link above to learn more about "fast track" and how it led to NAFTA, CAFTA, and agreements with Colombia, Peru, and Panama. The Obama Administration says it will not ask for "fast track"authority before undertaking extensive consultations about future directions for U.S. trade policy.

Worker Rights Petitions

Worker rights petitions allowed for under special U.S. trade programs have been the single most effective source of U.S. leverage for promoting worker rights in Latin America. However, passage of free trade agreements, e.g. CAFTA, replaces these special trade programs and eliminates the worker rights  petition process  and their stronger labor standards, greatly weakening the ability of USLEAP and others to try to apply U.S. trade leverage to support worker rights abroad.  Trade agreements like CAFTA and NAFTA provide for a much weaker labor complaint process.

USLEAP has filed numerous petitions on Guatemala, no longer applicable under CAFTA, and, more recently, on Ecuador, a petition that is still pending. Clink on the link above to learn more about worker rights petitions.  The AFL-CIO has filed the only CAFTA labor complaint, on Guatemala.