The status of the highly controversial US-Colombia Free Trade Agreement was in limbo as of mid-May, following an April furor when, in an unprecedented move, the Bush administration submitted the bill over the objections of Congressional leadership. This step, dubbed by the press as the “nuclear option,” precipitated a swift and equally unprecedented response from the House of Representatives which voted largely along party lines to remove the 90-day timeline for action from the “fast-track” rules that normally govern action on trade agreements.
While Bush Administration officials publicly declare the trade deal dead for the year, both governments and big business are still pushing hard for a vote, which Pelosi has said must be conditioned on Administration support for an economic package that benefits working Americans. That support has not yet been forthcoming but any talk of a “deal” has concerned USLEAP and others who argue that no “deal” is acceptable since Colombia continues to lead the world in violence against trade unionists and has failed to make much progress on impunity.
Most observers believe that Democrats are unlikely to schedule a vote on the contentious trade deal in an election year, although the likelihood of a vote in any lameduck session is considered greater. In any case, pro-FTA forces are working vigorously for a vote and opponents need to be vigilant.
Democrats, especially House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, have been derided as protectionists in editorial pages across the county which have generally and uncritically accepted claims by the Colombian and U.S. governments that significant progress has been made under President Alvaro Uribe to reduce violence against trade unionists and address impunity.
Pro-FTA lobbyists have flooded congressional offices and opinion makers with charts, graphs, and talking points intended to show that the government has made significant gains. Much of the argumentation is misleading if not false. In response, USLEAP has prepared and posted on its website a fact sheet and a rebuttal, “How Much Progress Under Uribe?” Single copies are also available by mail upon request.
The most telling factual rebuttal is straight-forward: Under Uribe, more trade unionists have been murdered than in the rest of the world combined. For the over 400 trade unionists murdered since Uribe took office, only 22 conviction cases have been achieved, nearly all of which are still subject to appeal and reversal.
Andean Trade Benefits Extended, Again
In February, President Bush signed an extension to the Andean Trade Preferences Act (ATPA), which has allowed many Colombian products to enter the US duty free since 1991. The Free Trade Agreement would replace ATPA preferences as it would permanently extend duty-free treatment, but when it became clear that the FTA would not be passed before the expiration of the previous ATPA extension, Congress voted for an additional extension through December 31st, 2008.
Ecuador Tightens Law Against Subcontracting
Ecuador has passed a tough new law that seeks to eliminate outsourcing, a practice that has been used extensively by employers to inhibit the establishment of trade unions in the banana and other sectors. Analysts are still examining the law to assess its potential effectiveness but Ecuadorian trade unionists have hailed its passage while businesses have expressed strong opposition. Addressing outsourcing and subcontracting was a key objective of ATPA worker rights petitions initially filed against Ecuador in 2003 by USLEAP, Human Rights Watch, and the AFL-CIO that remain pending. A lame effort under the previous government to restrict subcontracting was riddled with holes but the current government of President Rafael Correa, backed by labor, appears to have taken a significant advance against an anti-union practice that has been spreading throughout Latin America.