ACTION ALERT! Thursday's Secret Trade Deal by DLC Dem Leadership expands NAFTA

[KoKo]

Here's the scoop. Those of us who are against "secret deals" and expansion of NAFTA type "free trade" which offshore our jobs, drive down our wages and allow uninspected and possibly tainted food to come into our country need to respond to this immediately. That this was done by our Democratic Leadership "behind closed doors" is disappointing. Do we need our DEMS to be acting like Repugs...making deals in SECRET with LOBBYISTS? CALL YOUR HOUSE MEMBERS and SIGN THE PETITION FROM "Public Citizen" to let Congress know that American Workers have had ENOUGH OF THIS!

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Friday, May 11, 2007
K Street vs. Middle America: Battle Lines Being Drawn In Fight Over Dems' Secret Trade Deal With Bush Sirota Blog

Another long day as the reverberations continue to intensify after yesterday's press conference announcing a secret "free" trade deal between a handful of senior Democrats and the Bush administration. In the interest of brevity, I have compiled the major news of the day, including new revelations about who is supporting the deal and who is opposing it, though remember - it is difficult to make any hard and fast conclusions because Democratic leaders and the White House continue to keep the details of the deal completely secret. That said, a look at who is supporting the deal and who is opposing it provides some key insights into what this deal is really all about. Already, the New York Times has reported that at least half of all House Democrats may immediately oppose the deal because it seems to fly in the face of the Election 2006 mandate against lobbyist-written trade policy. And now, a day after the announcement, the battle lines are being drawn.

DEAL MAKES SURE TO PREVENT UNIONS FROM HAVING LESS RIGHTS THAN CORPORATIONS: Reuters reports that the deal includes "a provision that would only allow national governments" - not unions - "to file a labor complaint under the pact," meaning Democrats complicit in the deal are effectively proposing that America rely on the Bush administration to make sure workers and the environment are protected. This provision in the deal creates a clear double standard that prioritizes corporate rights over worker rights. Specifically, the provision stands in contrast to provisions already in America's current trade pacts that allow domestic and foreign corporations to file complaints against sovereign governments (including U.S. local, state and federal governments) when those governments pass environmental/consumer protection laws. These complaints have resulted in U.S. taxpayers alone being forced to pay roughly $1.8 billion in "damages" in international courts because of its own laws.
DEAL PREVENTS DEMANDS FOR U.S. TO RESPECT INTERNATIONAL LABOR STANDARDS AT HOME: Bloomberg News reports that the deal appears to ensure that unions and other countries cannot demand enforcement of International Labor Organization standards in the United States. Specifically, "federal trade officials said they are confident that the wording protects against any possible litigation." This report is consistent with a statement from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which yesterday said key players in the deal have given K Street "assurances that the labor provisions cannot be read to require compliance with ILO Conventions."

much more on what this is about here........

http://www.workingassetsblog.com/

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For reference, Public Citizen is calling for the public immediately contact Congress asking lawmakers to reject the deal, on the basis of what we already know about it. The organization has created a website for this purpose here.

TAKE ACTION HERE:
http://action.citizen.org/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=11354