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Contact Your Member of Congress Re: CAFTA on/by April 13th
Sen. Chuck Grassley, chairman of the Senate Committee on Finance, announced a committee hearing on the United States-Dominican Republic-Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) for Wednesday, April 13. It is rumored that the House Ways and Means Committee will also hold a hearing the same day.
The WiscoTrader
Providing fair trade news and views you won’t find in mainstream media.
April 6th 2005 ~ Issue 7 ~ CAFTA: We Don’t Hafta.
Take Action
Sen. Chuck Grassley, chairman of the Senate Committee on Finance, announced a committee hearing on the United States-Dominican Republic-Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) for Wednesday, April 13. It is rumored that the House Ways and Means Committee will also hold a hearing the same day.
These will address “general issues” of CAFTA, and do not include the basic “mock-mark-up” activities needed for CAFTA implementing legislation to be finalized. This hearing was rescheduled from the original April 6th date. Put simply, free traders are stalling, probing for votes, and they don’t yet have them. We need your help to continue the crucial fight to defeat CAFTA.
Call your Congressional Representatives on April 13th, thank them for opposing CAFTA, and encourage them to publicly come out against it. Be sure to leave your address, and ask for a response.
* Wisconsin delegation contact info is at http://www.wiscotrader.org/action.htm
* To find out who represents you in Congress visit to http://www.house.gov/writerep/
* To find out who represents you in the Senate, click here for contact info
The Good: Governor Declines to Sign New Trade Agreements
Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski has refused a request from the U.S. Trade Representative to commit his state to the terms of new trade agreements now being finalized with Panama and the Andean countries of Columbia, Ecuador and Peru. As is the case with all trade agreements, states must consent to be bound by provisions that would affect their purchases of products and services.
In a letter to U.S. Trade Representative Robert Zoellick, dated March 22, Gov. Kulongoski wrote: “I understand that the American economy has evolved into a global economy and that trade agreements are a necessity. But these trade agreements must include provisions that guarantee fair trade. Accordingly, Oregon will evaluate whether to participate in trade agreements on a case by case basis using a fair trade standard for each analysis. Given these requirements, Oregon will not be participating in the Panama and Andean FTAs.”
Wary states are resisting free-trade deals as the Bush administration tries to persuade local governments to open up contracts to foreign competition. State officials are concerned the deals, with a growing list of countries, will erode their sovereignty and ability to set wage, environmental, "Buy American" and other standards in taxpayer-funded contracts.
The Bad: Gambling with States Rights
Antigua Anticipates Favorable Ruling on Gambling Issue
The small nation of Antigua and Barbuda could successfully expand gambling in America on April 7th when the World Trade Organization's (WTO) trade ruling is announced. If the original November 2004 WTO ruling is upheld, the US will face compliance issues requiring our US government to allow more online gaming rather than simply prohibiting it altogether.
The National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL), led by Utah State Representative Sheryll Allen, wrote to U.S. Trade Representative Peter Allgeier regarding the WTO appellate decision. You can find the letter by clicking here. Briefing materials on the case are also available by clicking here.
The Ugly: Pretty Shirty - Imports increase 1,258 % in 3 months
On Friday, the US Department of Commerce released preliminary figures showing that through March, U.S. imports of Chinese textiles and clothing spiked 63 percent. The numbers also showed that shipments of knit shirts from China increased 1,258 percent in the first three months of this year, compared to the same period last year, while shipments of cotton pants were up by 1,521 percent.
Those increases threaten jobs across the country. For example, in the Carolinas Springs Industries closed two plants and will close two more, eliminating 1,240 jobs. Home-furnishings competitor WestPoint Stevens in January said it would cut 1,905 jobs as it shuttered Carolinas operations.
Related: US to Curb Chinese textile imports
China slammed US efforts to reimplement quotas on Chinese textile imports as an unfair and unreasonable move running counter to trade liberalization and smacking of protectionism.
Related: Cambodia's sales pitch: Sweatshop-free products
Cambodia is seeking to become the rare Third World country to develop economically while treating workers reasonably well. "The really big question is: Do consumers care?"
Cambodia's sweatshop-free sales pitch is laser-focused on U.S. buyers. Gap is the Southeast Asian country's largest customer.
News You Can Use
Roll Call: CAFTA Battle Expected to Shape Entire Trade Agenda
The battle over trade is about a lot more than just opening markets with six developing countries. Lobbyists on all sides of the agreement, known as CAFTA, say it will shape the entire trade agenda for this Congress.
CAFTA Passage Far from Certain
Members of Congress speak out: “This is a concentrated effort to spread disinformation about the true nature of the situation in Washington. There is strong bi-partisan opposition to CAFTA in the United States House of Representatives.” If presented to Congress for a vote today, they predict the agreement would fail.
Key Senator Comes Out Against Trade Treaty, Saying Deal Bad for Farmers
Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.), the newly powerful chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee, said Tuesday that he would vote against a proposed free trade agreement with Central American countries that President Bush covets and Atlanta officials deem critical for their chances of landing a hemisphere-wide trade headquarters.
Related: CAFTA opponents scored important gains in March, with Reps. Jane Harman (D-CA), and Mike Simpson and Butch Otter (both R-ID) coming out publicly against CAFTA.
Free trade at all costs?
The Bush administration is trying to push CAFTA through Congress quickly and quietly. But this agreement represents the same free trade at all costs policy that has led to a 70 percent increase in the trade deficit since 2001. We're not signing trade agreements to open new markets for our exports. Instead we're continuing to enter into outsourcing agreements with countries that cannot possibly buy our goods. By Lou Dobbs
Business week: Outsourcing Innovation
First came manufacturing. Now companies are farming out R&D to cut costs and get new products to market faster. Are they going too far?
Low Support for CAFTA Deal in U.S.
Many Americans are against a proposed free trade agreement encompassing the United States and six Latin American nations, according to a poll by Ayres, McHenry & Associates and Ipsos-Public Affairs. More than half -- 51 per cent of respondents --oppose the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA).
Fair Trade Advocates Blast CAFTA
Six panelists urged Congress to not ratify President George W. Bush’s proposed Central American Free Trade Agreement because of its negative impacts on the environment, workers, farmers, prices, immigration, and democracy.
CAFTA would expand failures of NAFTA
Eleven years of the North American Free Trade Agreement have produced alarming results. The U.S. Department of Labor has certified more than 600,000 good jobs were lost under NAFTA, and the Economic Policy Institute finds the number to be significantly higher.
CAFTA: Deal or dud?
Far from opening new final markets for U.S.-made products, CAFTA will destroy tens of thousands of working-class American jobs and help lock the United States into bigger U.S. trade deficits.
The Nation: Elite Protectionists
Conceivably, we could be witnessing the start of a break from the era of US-led globalization in which Washington preached unfettered trade to the rest of the world.
Wisconsin Trade News
Feingold on NAFTA and Trade
"I strongly disagree with the President's characterization today of NAFTA as a "success", and with his call on Congress to pass CAFTA this year. These comments are out of touch with American businesses and workers who have been forced to compete on an uneven playing field for years under bad deals like NAFTA.”
'Sweatshop Panel' Irked At Wiley
Half the members of a committee that advises UW-Madison Chancellor John Wiley on labor licensing issues resigned in protest Monday, and the other half may step down pending the outcome of a planned meeting with Wiley.
Trade Show in China Set for May 2006
The 650-member Association of Equipment Manufacturers plans to host a trade show in Beijing in May 2006 to make inroads into one of the world's biggest markets for construction equipment. Normally, it takes several years to put together an event of this size, but there was a sense of urgency to establish a show in Beijing next year, said Dennis Slater, president of Milwaukee- based AEM.
Spreading the Peace
Albert Liu is director of culture and communications for Alterra Coffee Roasters, where he manages the Fair Trade program, corresponds with coffee growers throughout the world and, best of all, travels to exotic locations maintaining relationships with both estate and cooperative coffee producers, and setting up cultural events with ethnic communities as part of Alterra’s "World of Coffee" series.
Shoring up Trade Laws
Ben Franklin said the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. One intelligent response to outsourcing would be to stop passing the same trade agreements over and over.
Farmers Unite Against CAFTA: Opposition Continues to Grow
Opposition continues to swell within America's agriculture community and among America's farmers. By National Farmers Union President Dave Frederickson.
Survey Says: Agri Talk shows 4 to 1 opposition Against CAFTA
Click on http://www.agritalk.com/ to see the results, and to take a vote on fast track. Agri Talk is a national agricultural radio show that discusses a myriad of topic related to Agriculture.
Trade Events 2005
April 7th ~ Milwaukee, WI. Alverno Debates Series: Dialogues in Civic Engagement, "Trading the Dragon: Golden Opportunity or Dangerous Game" The pros and cons of China 's impact on the U.S. economy. 7:00 pm, Wehr Hall.
April 12th ~ Racine, WI. “Women Confronting Globalization”. A fair trade and human rights presentation by Mexican activist Rosa Barrientos Ventura and Abby Thornton, Mexico Solidarity Network, 4:00 to 5:30 pm, Siena Center, 5635 Siena Center, Racine. Info: Call Sr. Jean Verber at 262/639-4100.
April 13th ~ Madison, WI. Buy Local Breakfast. 7:45 am to 9:30 am. Sunprint Cafe on the Square (Glass building) http://www.danebuylocal.com
April 13th ~ Washington DC. First hearing on CAFTA. Call your congressional representative on April 13th.
April 15-17th ~ Amherst Junction WI. "Bringing Culture Back into Agriculture" Family Farm Defenders Annual Meeting. Contact John Peck at 608.260.0900 or email him at familyfarmdefenders [at] yahoo.com or call
April 15-16th ~ Washington DC. International Trade, Preemption and the States, A Policy and Legal Primer for State Legislative and Legal Officials. Hyatt Regency on Capitol Hill.
April 15th ~ Madison, WI. Genetically Modified Crops and the World Trade Organization Conference. Fluno Center for Executive Education.
April 21st ~ Madison, WI. Thurs 4:30 pm Meeting of the WNPJ Corporate Accountability Task Group - 122 State St. #402 - Conference Room. john [at] wnpj.org
April 22nd ~ Madison, WI. “Earth Day 2005: A Reconsideration of Human and Environmental Vulnerability.” Grainger Hall Room 1100. Click here for more information.
April 20-30th – Cuba. Challenging the FTAA: Sending a Delegation to CUBA . Cost: $1150 plus airfare. For more information, contact Carol Bracewell at flypig [at] tds.net
April 25th ~ Madison WI. Coffee Production & Processing Free slide show on fair trade Two Degrees Coffee, A Room of One's Own 6:00 pm 307 W. Johnson. Phone 257-7888.
May 2005 – Washington, DC. GATS deadline
May 6-8th ~ Denver, CO. SweatFree Communities National Conference. Gather with organizers from across the country to learn organizing skills and grow the sweatfree movement. http://www.sweatfree.org
May 7th-20th ~ Nationwide. Fairtrade Fortnight. Oxfam will be celebrating Fairtrade with a series of great events around the country.
May 17th ~ Milwaukee, WI. 41st Annual Wisconsin International Trade Conference: Think Global. Italian Community Center 631 E. Chicago Street. Program Agenda and Details. You can also Register Online.
June 3-5th ~ Williams Bay, WI. “RadFest”. Weekend conference for progressive activists, organizers, and academics held the weekend after Memorial Day. Focusing on economic justice, equality, democratic participation, global justice and peace, education and the environment. http://www.havenscenter.org/ .
September 10th ~ Baraboo WI. Fightin' Bobfest. Contact HIROK8 [at] aol.com
Autumn 2005 ~ The National Fair Trade Conference includes SERRV, Catholic Relief Services, Cooperative Coffees, Equal Exchange, Lutheran World Relief, Oxfam America and Ten Thousand Villages. Contact: jaime [at] fairtradefederation.org
Kudos: The National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL)
Led by Utah State Representative Sheryll Allen, NCSL wrote to U.S. Trade Representative Peter Allgeier regarding the WTO appellate decision on gaming. You can find the letter by clicking here. Briefing materials are also available by clicking here.
Website of the Week: Global Trade Watch
Public Citizen has been a long-time leader on opposing CAFTA, and they have great resources available at http://www.citizen.org/trade/cafta/
Profile: Pope John Paul II, Champion of Fair Trade
Working people around the world are mourning the death of Pope John Paul II, a strong champion of workers’ rights during his nearly 27-year reign. “Pope John Paul II led the Catholic Church in opposing sweat shop conditions and protecting the dignity of a human’s life", said Andy Gussert, Director of the Wisconsin Fair Trade Coalition. The Catholic Church has been a leader in promoting sweat free clothing.
Related Story: Guatemalan bishop joins voices opposing trade treaty
Bishop Alvaro Ramazzini, president of the Secretariat of Central American and Panama Bishops, said the Guatemalan government has “excluded the protesting voices and, though it hurts me and angers me to say it, will actually ratify the treaty.” To see how bad things will be for Central America, he said, one only has to look at the plight of Mexico today, where industrial wages have declined by 25 percent since NAFTA’s ratification and undocumented migration from the country has doubled.
We have over 1700 subscribers! Send info for newsletters to agussert [at] charter.net
To subscribe yourself, sign up at http://www.citizenstrade.org/lists/
To join the coalition, contact Andy Gussert at agussert [at] charter.net.
WFTC ~3129 Hermina Street Suite ~Madison WI 53714
Tel 608.237.1659 ~ Fax 608.442.1439 ~ email agussert [at] charter.net
Newsletters with hyperlink can be found online at http://www.wiscotrader.org
Providing fair trade news and views you won’t find in mainstream media.
April 6th 2005 ~ Issue 7 ~ CAFTA: We Don’t Hafta.
Take Action
Sen. Chuck Grassley, chairman of the Senate Committee on Finance, announced a committee hearing on the United States-Dominican Republic-Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) for Wednesday, April 13. It is rumored that the House Ways and Means Committee will also hold a hearing the same day.
These will address “general issues” of CAFTA, and do not include the basic “mock-mark-up” activities needed for CAFTA implementing legislation to be finalized. This hearing was rescheduled from the original April 6th date. Put simply, free traders are stalling, probing for votes, and they don’t yet have them. We need your help to continue the crucial fight to defeat CAFTA.
Call your Congressional Representatives on April 13th, thank them for opposing CAFTA, and encourage them to publicly come out against it. Be sure to leave your address, and ask for a response.
* Wisconsin delegation contact info is at http://www.wiscotrader.org/action.htm
* To find out who represents you in Congress visit to http://www.house.gov/writerep/
* To find out who represents you in the Senate, click here for contact info
The Good: Governor Declines to Sign New Trade Agreements
Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski has refused a request from the U.S. Trade Representative to commit his state to the terms of new trade agreements now being finalized with Panama and the Andean countries of Columbia, Ecuador and Peru. As is the case with all trade agreements, states must consent to be bound by provisions that would affect their purchases of products and services.
In a letter to U.S. Trade Representative Robert Zoellick, dated March 22, Gov. Kulongoski wrote: “I understand that the American economy has evolved into a global economy and that trade agreements are a necessity. But these trade agreements must include provisions that guarantee fair trade. Accordingly, Oregon will evaluate whether to participate in trade agreements on a case by case basis using a fair trade standard for each analysis. Given these requirements, Oregon will not be participating in the Panama and Andean FTAs.”
Wary states are resisting free-trade deals as the Bush administration tries to persuade local governments to open up contracts to foreign competition. State officials are concerned the deals, with a growing list of countries, will erode their sovereignty and ability to set wage, environmental, "Buy American" and other standards in taxpayer-funded contracts.
The Bad: Gambling with States Rights
Antigua Anticipates Favorable Ruling on Gambling Issue
The small nation of Antigua and Barbuda could successfully expand gambling in America on April 7th when the World Trade Organization's (WTO) trade ruling is announced. If the original November 2004 WTO ruling is upheld, the US will face compliance issues requiring our US government to allow more online gaming rather than simply prohibiting it altogether.
The National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL), led by Utah State Representative Sheryll Allen, wrote to U.S. Trade Representative Peter Allgeier regarding the WTO appellate decision. You can find the letter by clicking here. Briefing materials on the case are also available by clicking here.
The Ugly: Pretty Shirty - Imports increase 1,258 % in 3 months
On Friday, the US Department of Commerce released preliminary figures showing that through March, U.S. imports of Chinese textiles and clothing spiked 63 percent. The numbers also showed that shipments of knit shirts from China increased 1,258 percent in the first three months of this year, compared to the same period last year, while shipments of cotton pants were up by 1,521 percent.
Those increases threaten jobs across the country. For example, in the Carolinas Springs Industries closed two plants and will close two more, eliminating 1,240 jobs. Home-furnishings competitor WestPoint Stevens in January said it would cut 1,905 jobs as it shuttered Carolinas operations.
Related: US to Curb Chinese textile imports
China slammed US efforts to reimplement quotas on Chinese textile imports as an unfair and unreasonable move running counter to trade liberalization and smacking of protectionism.
Related: Cambodia's sales pitch: Sweatshop-free products
Cambodia is seeking to become the rare Third World country to develop economically while treating workers reasonably well. "The really big question is: Do consumers care?"
Cambodia's sweatshop-free sales pitch is laser-focused on U.S. buyers. Gap is the Southeast Asian country's largest customer.
News You Can Use
Roll Call: CAFTA Battle Expected to Shape Entire Trade Agenda
The battle over trade is about a lot more than just opening markets with six developing countries. Lobbyists on all sides of the agreement, known as CAFTA, say it will shape the entire trade agenda for this Congress.
CAFTA Passage Far from Certain
Members of Congress speak out: “This is a concentrated effort to spread disinformation about the true nature of the situation in Washington. There is strong bi-partisan opposition to CAFTA in the United States House of Representatives.” If presented to Congress for a vote today, they predict the agreement would fail.
Key Senator Comes Out Against Trade Treaty, Saying Deal Bad for Farmers
Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.), the newly powerful chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee, said Tuesday that he would vote against a proposed free trade agreement with Central American countries that President Bush covets and Atlanta officials deem critical for their chances of landing a hemisphere-wide trade headquarters.
Related: CAFTA opponents scored important gains in March, with Reps. Jane Harman (D-CA), and Mike Simpson and Butch Otter (both R-ID) coming out publicly against CAFTA.
Free trade at all costs?
The Bush administration is trying to push CAFTA through Congress quickly and quietly. But this agreement represents the same free trade at all costs policy that has led to a 70 percent increase in the trade deficit since 2001. We're not signing trade agreements to open new markets for our exports. Instead we're continuing to enter into outsourcing agreements with countries that cannot possibly buy our goods. By Lou Dobbs
Business week: Outsourcing Innovation
First came manufacturing. Now companies are farming out R&D to cut costs and get new products to market faster. Are they going too far?
Low Support for CAFTA Deal in U.S.
Many Americans are against a proposed free trade agreement encompassing the United States and six Latin American nations, according to a poll by Ayres, McHenry & Associates and Ipsos-Public Affairs. More than half -- 51 per cent of respondents --oppose the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA).
Fair Trade Advocates Blast CAFTA
Six panelists urged Congress to not ratify President George W. Bush’s proposed Central American Free Trade Agreement because of its negative impacts on the environment, workers, farmers, prices, immigration, and democracy.
CAFTA would expand failures of NAFTA
Eleven years of the North American Free Trade Agreement have produced alarming results. The U.S. Department of Labor has certified more than 600,000 good jobs were lost under NAFTA, and the Economic Policy Institute finds the number to be significantly higher.
CAFTA: Deal or dud?
Far from opening new final markets for U.S.-made products, CAFTA will destroy tens of thousands of working-class American jobs and help lock the United States into bigger U.S. trade deficits.
The Nation: Elite Protectionists
Conceivably, we could be witnessing the start of a break from the era of US-led globalization in which Washington preached unfettered trade to the rest of the world.
Wisconsin Trade News
Feingold on NAFTA and Trade
"I strongly disagree with the President's characterization today of NAFTA as a "success", and with his call on Congress to pass CAFTA this year. These comments are out of touch with American businesses and workers who have been forced to compete on an uneven playing field for years under bad deals like NAFTA.”
'Sweatshop Panel' Irked At Wiley
Half the members of a committee that advises UW-Madison Chancellor John Wiley on labor licensing issues resigned in protest Monday, and the other half may step down pending the outcome of a planned meeting with Wiley.
Trade Show in China Set for May 2006
The 650-member Association of Equipment Manufacturers plans to host a trade show in Beijing in May 2006 to make inroads into one of the world's biggest markets for construction equipment. Normally, it takes several years to put together an event of this size, but there was a sense of urgency to establish a show in Beijing next year, said Dennis Slater, president of Milwaukee- based AEM.
Spreading the Peace
Albert Liu is director of culture and communications for Alterra Coffee Roasters, where he manages the Fair Trade program, corresponds with coffee growers throughout the world and, best of all, travels to exotic locations maintaining relationships with both estate and cooperative coffee producers, and setting up cultural events with ethnic communities as part of Alterra’s "World of Coffee" series.
Shoring up Trade Laws
Ben Franklin said the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. One intelligent response to outsourcing would be to stop passing the same trade agreements over and over.
Farmers Unite Against CAFTA: Opposition Continues to Grow
Opposition continues to swell within America's agriculture community and among America's farmers. By National Farmers Union President Dave Frederickson.
Survey Says: Agri Talk shows 4 to 1 opposition Against CAFTA
Click on http://www.agritalk.com/ to see the results, and to take a vote on fast track. Agri Talk is a national agricultural radio show that discusses a myriad of topic related to Agriculture.
Trade Events 2005
April 7th ~ Milwaukee, WI. Alverno Debates Series: Dialogues in Civic Engagement, "Trading the Dragon: Golden Opportunity or Dangerous Game" The pros and cons of China 's impact on the U.S. economy. 7:00 pm, Wehr Hall.
April 12th ~ Racine, WI. “Women Confronting Globalization”. A fair trade and human rights presentation by Mexican activist Rosa Barrientos Ventura and Abby Thornton, Mexico Solidarity Network, 4:00 to 5:30 pm, Siena Center, 5635 Siena Center, Racine. Info: Call Sr. Jean Verber at 262/639-4100.
April 13th ~ Madison, WI. Buy Local Breakfast. 7:45 am to 9:30 am. Sunprint Cafe on the Square (Glass building) http://www.danebuylocal.com
April 13th ~ Washington DC. First hearing on CAFTA. Call your congressional representative on April 13th.
April 15-17th ~ Amherst Junction WI. "Bringing Culture Back into Agriculture" Family Farm Defenders Annual Meeting. Contact John Peck at 608.260.0900 or email him at familyfarmdefenders [at] yahoo.com or call
April 15-16th ~ Washington DC. International Trade, Preemption and the States, A Policy and Legal Primer for State Legislative and Legal Officials. Hyatt Regency on Capitol Hill.
April 15th ~ Madison, WI. Genetically Modified Crops and the World Trade Organization Conference. Fluno Center for Executive Education.
April 21st ~ Madison, WI. Thurs 4:30 pm Meeting of the WNPJ Corporate Accountability Task Group - 122 State St. #402 - Conference Room. john [at] wnpj.org
April 22nd ~ Madison, WI. “Earth Day 2005: A Reconsideration of Human and Environmental Vulnerability.” Grainger Hall Room 1100. Click here for more information.
April 20-30th – Cuba. Challenging the FTAA: Sending a Delegation to CUBA . Cost: $1150 plus airfare. For more information, contact Carol Bracewell at flypig [at] tds.net
April 25th ~ Madison WI. Coffee Production & Processing Free slide show on fair trade Two Degrees Coffee, A Room of One's Own 6:00 pm 307 W. Johnson. Phone 257-7888.
May 2005 – Washington, DC. GATS deadline
May 6-8th ~ Denver, CO. SweatFree Communities National Conference. Gather with organizers from across the country to learn organizing skills and grow the sweatfree movement. http://www.sweatfree.org
May 7th-20th ~ Nationwide. Fairtrade Fortnight. Oxfam will be celebrating Fairtrade with a series of great events around the country.
May 17th ~ Milwaukee, WI. 41st Annual Wisconsin International Trade Conference: Think Global. Italian Community Center 631 E. Chicago Street. Program Agenda and Details. You can also Register Online.
June 3-5th ~ Williams Bay, WI. “RadFest”. Weekend conference for progressive activists, organizers, and academics held the weekend after Memorial Day. Focusing on economic justice, equality, democratic participation, global justice and peace, education and the environment. http://www.havenscenter.org/ .
September 10th ~ Baraboo WI. Fightin' Bobfest. Contact HIROK8 [at] aol.com
Autumn 2005 ~ The National Fair Trade Conference includes SERRV, Catholic Relief Services, Cooperative Coffees, Equal Exchange, Lutheran World Relief, Oxfam America and Ten Thousand Villages. Contact: jaime [at] fairtradefederation.org
Kudos: The National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL)
Led by Utah State Representative Sheryll Allen, NCSL wrote to U.S. Trade Representative Peter Allgeier regarding the WTO appellate decision on gaming. You can find the letter by clicking here. Briefing materials are also available by clicking here.
Website of the Week: Global Trade Watch
Public Citizen has been a long-time leader on opposing CAFTA, and they have great resources available at http://www.citizen.org/trade/cafta/
Profile: Pope John Paul II, Champion of Fair Trade
Working people around the world are mourning the death of Pope John Paul II, a strong champion of workers’ rights during his nearly 27-year reign. “Pope John Paul II led the Catholic Church in opposing sweat shop conditions and protecting the dignity of a human’s life", said Andy Gussert, Director of the Wisconsin Fair Trade Coalition. The Catholic Church has been a leader in promoting sweat free clothing.
Related Story: Guatemalan bishop joins voices opposing trade treaty
Bishop Alvaro Ramazzini, president of the Secretariat of Central American and Panama Bishops, said the Guatemalan government has “excluded the protesting voices and, though it hurts me and angers me to say it, will actually ratify the treaty.” To see how bad things will be for Central America, he said, one only has to look at the plight of Mexico today, where industrial wages have declined by 25 percent since NAFTA’s ratification and undocumented migration from the country has doubled.
We have over 1700 subscribers! Send info for newsletters to agussert [at] charter.net
To subscribe yourself, sign up at http://www.citizenstrade.org/lists/
To join the coalition, contact Andy Gussert at agussert [at] charter.net.
WFTC ~3129 Hermina Street Suite ~Madison WI 53714
Tel 608.237.1659 ~ Fax 608.442.1439 ~ email agussert [at] charter.net
Newsletters with hyperlink can be found online at http://www.wiscotrader.org
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