Six flower workers at the Mongibello flower plantation near Bogotá, Colombia were fired on November 10th because they tried to form a union. Tell the management at Mongibello that this sort of activity is not just unethical, it's illegal.
Our friends at the Latin America Working Group (LAWG) are circulating a petition to President-Elect Barack Obama requesting a new type of policy for Latin American and Caribbean countries. Now is a moment not just to be in opposition, but to create foreign policy that we can believe in.
In early May, a group of employees of Agua Salvavidas, were illegitimately fired after forming the Peten Distributor Employees Union (SITRAPETEN). The union members consequently set up an encampment in front of the company's headquarters to raise awareness about the labor violations and to demand reinstatement.
Continuing violence against Colombian trade unionists and widespread impunity for those responsible is a strong argument against a free trade agreement with Colombia in any form. Write your Members of Congress and urge them to oppose the U.S.-Colombia free trade agreement. Congress may still consider the proposed trade agreement this fall.