Teamsters Say No to Trade Deals

Unions Band Together to Defeat Trade With Panama, Colombia, S. Korea

Several unions have drawn a bright line on trade for the Obama administration.

The Teamsters, United Steelworkers and Communications Workers of America are among the groups saying they will fight to defeat free trade deals with Panama, Colombia and South Korea if they are brought to Congress. All three free trade agreements (FTAs) were negotiated by the Bush administration.

“We want to make clear that we strenuously oppose the three leftover Bush FTAs and will fight for their defeat if they are brought to Congress,” members of the Citizens Trade Campaign wrote in a Tuesday letter to Obama.

The National Farmers Union and Public Citizen’s Global Trade Watch also signed the letter.

Several large unions, including the AFL-CIO and Service Employees International Union (SEIU), also oppose the three deals but are not signatories to the letter. But Workers United, a union affiliated of SEIU, did sign it.

The Steelworkers won a victory on trade this month when Obama decided to slap tariffs on Chinese tires. The president has shown a willingness to bend to labor on trade.

The trade agreements appear to be on ice while the administration tries to win healthcare reform. It is widely expected, however, that Obama will move forward with the deals after the healthcare debate.

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