Stop the Central American Free Trade Agreement!

Central America Is Not for Sale

Stop CAFTA Call to Action April 5-16

This urgent action alert is from the Stop CAFTA Coalition of which the Campaign for Labor Rights is a member. If your group would like to be a contact for lobbying against CAFTA in your state, call us at (202) 544-9355 or reply to clr@clrlabor.org.

On February 20th President Bush officially notified the U.S. Congress under the Trade Promotion Authority law (AKA Fast Track) of his intention to sign the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA). This begins a process that will probably lead to a vote in the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate before Congress' summer recess on July 23rd.

Our Congressional representatives and Senators will be in their home districts for the Easter Recess from April 5th to the 16th. As U.S. citizens we need to hold our elected officials responsible and call on them to vote against CAFTA. There is already broad opposition among civil society groups in Central America to CAFTA, but the biggest impact we can have in this country in support of our Central American sisters and brothers is to guarantee that the U.S. Congress defeats CAFTA when it comes up for a vote. Members of Congress are hearing a lot these days from their constituents about the negative impact of "free" trade. Now more than ever it is critical to tell your congressperson to say No to CAFTA, Yes to Jobs, Yes to small farmers, and Yes to equality!

The momentum is on our side. Republican lawmakers on Capitol Hill in recent weeks have acknowledged that right now they do not have the votes to pass CAFTA in the House of Representatives. We CAN defeat CAFTA if, in concert with our partners in Central America, we make the advocacy efforts to do so. It is important to impress upon members of Congress the importance of speaking up against CAFTA now, if they are opposed to the trade agreement. It is possible that, if enough opposition is shown, the Bush administration will not introduce the enabling legislation before the November elections. A victory for us!

Here are some suggested actions for April 5th to the 16th:

--MEETING WITH YOUR REPRESENTATIVES AND SENATORS. Call your member of Congress at their local office to arrange a meeting, perhaps including their staff person who is working on trade issue.

If you need support on how to hold an advocacy meeting, lobby materials and other CAFTA information are available in the Stop CAFTA lobbying kit at www.stopcafta.org. **Para materiales en espanol vaya a la pagina de web de United for Fair Economy**. --COLLECT BALLOTS against CAFTA before the meeting and deliver them to your member of Congress. Witness for Peace has a CAFTA/FTAA ballot available as well as other CAFTA materials. Feel free to adapt it to raise awareness of local issues. You can also collect post cards calling on the Representatives and Senators to vote against CAFTA and deliver them to the local office.

--ORGANIZE A CALL-IN DAY. Cookies against CAFTA: Fight CAFTA with cookies, by setting up a table with an available cellphone at a local college or university, food coop, church, or other local site. Everyone who calls Congress gets a cookie.

Promote a call in day with union locals and sympathetic churches and synagogues in your area. Have a concise sample phone script with phone numbers to call to give to people.

--ORGANIZE A TEACH-IN OR EDUCATIONAL EVENT about CAFTA in your community, possibly at a local university. Hold a community forum on the impact of CAFTA on your locality as well as its impact on the people Central America. Work with local Central American immigrant organizations, making links with their struggles for immigrant rights and legalization.

--ORGANIZE A PICKET OR "BIRD-DOG" of your senator or representative. Organize a picket at their local office. Find out their schedule in the home district during the April 5 to 16 recess and bird-dog them. This means going to an open meeting the elected official has with constituents, or going to a fundraiser. Be prepared with a clear and concise question "Representative ______, why do you support the Central American Free Trade Agreement: CAFTA when it will have a devastating impact on working families here in (add you state and city) and in Central America?" Or, Senator __________, what is your position on the Central American Free Trade Agreement? Will you speak out against it?" Find out the recess schedule and go, go. Or, organize a peaceful picket in front of the local office.

***IF you are organizing ANY anti-CAFTA actions PLEASE visit www.stopcafta.org to post an event and add your organization as a local contact. Also it's a great place to find out about other organizations and events in your area!