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February FTAA UpdateBy CWA: Communication Workers of AmericaPosted 22 February 2003 Contents
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Trade Deficit - Historic in 2002The Commerce Department announced the trade deficit numbers for 2002 - $435 billion. The number is 16 % higher than the previous high of $376 billion in 2000. The Manufacturing part of the deficit was $369 Billion - over ONE BILLION DOLLARS PER DAY. The numbers are astronomical, but cannot begin to convey the catastrophic
losses in jobs, health care and stability in communities through out
the US. http://www.tradealert.org/ticker_home.asp Toxics: Company Leaves - Pollution RemainsThe legacy of trade agreements, in this case NAFTA, becomes clear in the story of Metales in Tijuana Mexico. First came the company (US based) which broke down old batteries to salvage the contents, then the company moved back to the US. Now, and for the last many years, the toxic materials float around the neighborhood - with no solution from the owners in the US. Read the story from the Washington Post: http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A14622-2003Feb15?language=print Bolivia + IMF Pressure = 23 Dead10,000 Police officers are back to work after a strike over the threatened income tax hike to 12.5%. The IMF had insisted that Bolivia reduce their deficit, currently 8.5% of the budget, to 5.5%. This lead to a nationwide strike, 23 dead, and widespread looting. In the end the government cancelled the tax increase and gave the police a raise. The reports of unions and opposition leaders wanting to continue the strike and anger at the US for the IMF policies can be found in the article: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/2758497.stm IMF ExposeGreg Palast (an American who writes articles/books, and does investigative reporting for the BBC) has a new US edition of his book "The Best Democracy Money Can Buy" coming out from Plume/Penguin this week. But you can read his article on the World Bank and the IMF's adverse impacts on Bolivia and Argentina in the March issue of Harper's Magazine: Water - World Bank and CorporationsA new report on privatization of water systems, driven by a few multinational corporations and the World Bank is now available from the Center for Public Integrity and their International Consortium of Investigative Journalists. The report can be read at http://www.public-i.org To read more about the study,visit: http://www.icij.org/dtaweb/water/ Singapore and Chile Texts - Still SecretThe US Trade Representative has announced completion of the negotiations of the trade agreements with Singapore and Chile, but members of Congress still haven't seen the texts. House Democrats have written to President Bush demanding that the text be released to the public. While the Administration has said that the agreements "open new opportunities for America's workers, farmers, businesses and consumers in global trade" but has thus far not yet released the information in the agreed upon deals. CAFTA Talks - in CincinnatiYes, talks scheduled for El Salvador moved to Ohio this week. Due to continued protests over the privatizations, the FTAA and CAFTA, this week's talks moved to Cincinnati, Ohio! The CAFTA (Central American Free Trade Agreement) has been proposed by the US with Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua. The CAFTA group is geographically in the middle of the FTAA region, and just south of NAFTA's Canada, USA and Mexico. Cispes has part of their website devoted to the subject, read more: Materials to Order"Trade Secrets: The Hidden Costs of the FTAA" is a new 16 minute video tape from the perspective of labor on the FTAA. Narrated by Mike Farrell, it covers the NAFTA Chapter 11 cases on UPS, and Methanex' attack on California's environmental laws banning MTBE from gasoline, and how the FTAA will affect us. There is also a set of fact sheets and great interactive role play on the impacts on the public and private sectors of the FTAA. The materials come from the UC Berkeley Center for Labor Research and Education. You can reach Producer Jeremy Blasi at (510) 642-1583, email: blasi@uclink.berkeley.edu, or visit http://henningcenter.berkeley.edu. The packets, including the video and curriculum guide, cost $15 each (shipping costs included); or $10 each for orders of 10 or more and $7.50 each for orders of 50 or more (plus shipping - contact for cost). Make out a check to "UC Regents" and send it to: Att: Jeremy Blasi, UC Berkeley Labor Center, 2521 Channing Way, Berkeley, CA 94720. Trading Democracy - Moyers videos The issues of transparency - and NAFTA Chapter 11 are well explained
Bill Moyers' Reports: Trading Democracy. The impact is carried further
when you remember that the same "lack of transparency" (as
in secret courts make the decisions) are included in the Chile and FTAA
agreements. Talking Trade Order Free copies of the publication: CWA Talking Trade, Taking a Stand for Justice may be ordered on our website: http://www.cwa-union.org/international/ftaa For more information contact: For legislative information contact: |
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