WFTC Calls McDermott a Duck

Our recent anti-Colombia FTA campaign work has involved targeted communication with Rep. Jim McDermott - one of the many Washington State Congress members yet to take a stand against the Colombia FTA. McDermott held several Town Hall meetings in the Seattle area recently, so we decided to target him and call him a DUCK since he has been ducking the issue and not taking a stand on this trade agreement!

Members of the Washington Fair Trade Coalition were present at all three meetings Rep. McDermott held last week (May 29, 31, and June 1). At the first meeting we made the most noise, holding up duck-themed signs, wearing duck masks, and passing out flyers explaining that ducking this issue is unacceptable. At all three meetings attendees asked him pointed questions about the Colombia FTA with relation to issues such as workers' rights, corruption in the Colombian government, and general faults with our trade model. McDermott, as usual, was hard to pin down - he has indicated that he won't support the FTA right now, but might as a "trade off" for better provisions for American workers, such as a strengthened TAA bill. He did say he agrees with many of our policy beliefs - the need to include labor and environmental provisions in trade agreements, the absurdity our current investor-rights provisions and agribusiness subsidies, among other issues. Yet he seems unable or unwilling to "connect the dots" and oppose the FTA.

One attendee heard McDermott indicate - quietly - that he doesn't plan to vote for the Colombia FTA. However, since he seems willing to trade off Colombian workers' rights for American workers', we are considering his position to still be unsatisfactory. We urge you all to contact his offices and explain to him that supporting workers' rights means supporting them everywhere, and that fairness and decency means he must extend his concern to workers in Colombia as well.

If you live in the 7^th District, you can email Rep. McDermott here: http://www.house.gov/mcdermott/contact.shtml. Or call (202) 225-3106.

Tell him not to duck this issue, and to support workers' right by openly opposing the Colombia FTA!

Adam Smith - Irksome Cheerleader for Free Trade

Adam Smith has been working against our fair trade efforts by becoming a spokesman for "free trade" in the media and in Washington DC. He has been actively campaigning for votes on the Colombia and Korea FTAs to take place, saying “Once our government has put the authority of the U.S. behind a negotiation, I think Congress has an obligation to vote on it.” This of course conveniently neglects the fact that none of us asked for or participated in the negotiation of this or any of the other pending trade agreements. And it goes without saying that, by pushing for a vote now, he's hoping the agreements are more likely to pass. With Democrats like Adam, who needs Republicans?!

If you live in Rep. Smith's district, please contact him and remind him that you don't want him to act as a cheerleader for a failed trade model! You can email him here: http://www.house.gov/adamsmith/IMA/email.shtml. Or call him at (202) 225-8901.

Sierra Club Report on Trade and Climate Change

"The Current Trade Model Contributes to Climate Change?" You Bet!

The Sierra Club recently published a hard-hitting report that discusses the impacts of our current trade model on global climate change. Though many fair traders are already aware of these links, this report provides powerful new evidence that the NAFTA trade model contributes to the grave threat of global warming.

The report goes beyond the most common issues to really investigate the numerous and complex ways that bad trade policy can contribute to global warming - from transportation and pollution to complex legal impediments to improving environmental policies around the world. It also points us toward possible solutions that would help protect the environment as well as workers, jobs, and communities. Estrangement

The report can be accessed from the Trade section of the Sierra Club's website.

New Executive Committee Member - Cameron Herrington

Cameron Herrington, Director of CISPES-WA, has agreed to join the executive committee of the Washington Fair Trade Coalition. Cameron has done a great job in the past couple of years energizing and focusing the work of CISPES, and building collaborations with other groups.  He is an awesome penner of OP- EDs and experienced counter-puncher in meetings with MOCs, with especially deep knowledge of the impacts of NAFTA and CAFTA on partner countries.  Welcome Cameron!

For further reading

"Democrat Urges House Vote on Korea, Colombia Pacts"
Read about Rep. Adam Smith's recent cheerleading for free trade.

"EMBARGOED FOR DELIVERY: Renewing U.S. Leadership in the Americas"
An interesting and rather progressive speech by Barak Obama regarding US-Latin American relations, including reference to trade policy.

"South Korea Relaxes US Beef Ban"
A change that may help ease the way for more support of the US-Korea FTA.