Dump Fast Track Now!

CLR Labor Alert posted July 10, 2001

In this Alert
1. National Call-in Day to Stop Fast Track
2. Toll Free National Call-in Day Number
3. Community Organizing Packet on Fast Track-get your friends, neighbors,
and co-workers to call your Representative.
---Facts on Fast Track
---talking points and sample call script

[Information in this Labor Alert provided by the Communication Workers of
America (CWA), the Mexico Solidarity Network (MSN), and CISPES]

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NATIONAL CALL-IN TO STOP \"FAST TRACK\"


The Campaign for Labor Rights, the Mexico Solidarity Network, and CISPES
strongly encourage you to be part of a national campaign to stop the \"Trade
Promotion Authority Act of 2001,\" (HR 2149 bill), which was recently
introduced in the House by Rep. Philip Crane of Illinois.

This \"Fast Track\" bill would give the President authority to negotiate trade
agreements for the next six years. The President would present completed
agreement to Congress for a simple up-down vote without the possibility of
amendments and with limited debate. The Fast Track bill would give
President Bush the authority to negotiate the most important international
agreement of our generation, the Free Trade Area of the Americas. The FTAA,
often called NAFTA for the entire hemisphere, would enshrine the corporate
agenda in an international legal framework, giving corporations many new
legal rights at the expense of working people and the environment.

Most likely, there will be a vote on Fast Track before Congress\' August
recess. Now is the time to take action to defeat Fast Track! Fast Track
was defeated in 1997 by a grassroots effort like this one. It wasn\'t easy.
It took tens of thousands of calls, emails, and letters to Congress. Now is
the time to do it again. With the FTAA on the line, Fast Track is more
dangerous than ever.

There\'s no time to lose! Please begin your grassroots campaign today. Ask
your fellow community members to call your Representative to urge him/her to
vote \"NO\" on Fast Track. You can call the House switchboard at 202-224-3121
to get your Representative\'s phone number. Ask the person you speak with to
give you your Representative\'s local access number-that\'s the number
toher/his office in your community.

Our goal is to have 300 calls made a day in each congressional district for
each of two days. If this happens across the nation, we\'re looking at tens
of thousands of calls! The two days we have identified for this action are
Friday July 13th, and Monday July 16th. These days have been chosen because
your Representative is most likely to be in her/his home office in your
community on Friday and Monday. We know this is short notice, but Congress
has not given us much time to organize. The Bush administration made it
clear that they intend to push this bill through as soon as they think they
have the votes. That could be as early as July 18th!

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TOLL FREE NATIONAL CALL-IN DAY:


Another important day in this fight is Tuesday, July 17th. That day has
been named a National Call-in Day by the AFL-CIO. They created a toll free
number so that as many activists and union members as possible can call
their Representatives. Just call, 1-800-393-1082 on that Tuesday to push
your Representative to say \"NO\" to Fast Track.

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COMMUNITY ORGANIZING PACKET ON FAST TRACK:


Please find below:
(1) \"The Facts on Fast Track,\" a summary of the dangers of Fast Track if it
is passed by congress.
(2) Talking points and a sample script for calls to your Representative.

Please drop us an email and let us know how many calls were in your
community made during this period. This information is important for the
accompanying media work that we\'ll be doing to defeat Fast Track. It\'s also
important so that we can keep you informed about the national effort.


1. The Facts on Fast Track:

On June 13, Representative Philip Crane (R-IL) introduced Fast Track
legislation (HR-2149) in the House of Representatives. Promoted under the
blander name of \"Trade Promotion Authority,\" HR-2149 would provide the
President with authority to negotiate trade treaties for the next six years.
Finished treaties would be presented to Congress for a simply up-down vote
with extremely limited debate, threatening the very foundations of our
democracy.

Fast Track undermines democracy and gives away basic rights:

* The President would have the authority to negotiate trade deals with other
countries, AND to sign the U.S. onto them before Congress even sees them.

* When Congress finally gets to see the finished agreement, debate about the
pros and cons of the deal -- critical to an informed decision -- is strictly
limited.

* Congress is not allowed to amend the agreements. They must take an up or
down vote. They can be forced to choose between a bad deal or no deal at
all, instead of seeking a compromise that could benefit everyone.

Fast Track threatens the very foundations of democracy. If passed, it will
be used to accelerate negotiations on the Free Trade Area of the Americas
(FTAA). FTAA has been described as the expansion of NAFTA to the entire
Western Hemisphere (except Cuba). If this Fast Track (or Trade Promotion
Authority) bill passes, it will be a devastating blow to workers and labor
rights around the world. This bill will allow the \"free\" trade agenda to be
pushed through Congress with no real barriers. And since congressional
amendments are not allowed, there will be no way to protect workers and the
environment if President Bush wins Fast Track authority.

Trade treaties have been in vogue over the past decade, particularly among
transnational corporations and their political supporters, to such an extent
that many refer to this as a \"constitutional\" moment. These treaties are an
attempt to enshrine the corporate agenda in a legal framework. Trade
treaties no longer deal only with tariffs. They touch every part of our
lives, from privatization of services to basic workers\' rights to
environmental protection. So far the results have been disastrous for
working people around the world.

We need look no further than the failed NAFTA experiment. The statistics
are sobering. Since 1994, the United States lost about 700,000 jobs, mainly
union jobs from the industrial sector. On average, the unemployed found new
jobs that paid only 70% of their previous wages, forcing them to either
lower their standard of living or look for a second job.

Most of these jobs went to maquiladora plants in Mexico, where wages average
about a dollar an hour, below the poverty level even by Mexico\'s standards.

At the same time, Mexico lost over two million jobs - about a million in the
agricultural sector where small and medium producers can\'t compete with
highly subsidized US corporate farms, and about a million in the small
business sector where the local taco vender can\'t compete with Taco Bell and
the local hardware store can\'t compete with WalMart. The results are
devastating. More than half of the Mexican population lives below the
poverty level, an increase from the 1980\'s when the \"free trade\" model first
took hold, and workers have lost nearly 30% of their purchasing power since
NAFTA went into effect in 1994.

In El Salvador, the free-trade model is equally deveastating: un/under
employment is over 65%; over 80% of families can not cover their most basic
needs; and 25% of El Salvador\'s population is still homeless after this
year\'s earthquakes. A proposed NAFTA style free trade agreement for Central
America with the U.S. and the FTAA will only make social and economic
conditions worse. The people of El Salvador want an alternative to corporate
globalization, but \"Fast Track\" and upcoming US trade legislation could
prevent that. Their alternative model puts the needs of the people above
corporate profits and is supported by Salvadoran unions, peasant
associations, youth and women\'s groups, and the FMLN.

Now the \"free\" trade agenda is being pushed to a new level under the FTAA.
Fast Track is a tactic used by corporate heads and government officials to
push the FTAA through, while eliminating democratic debate.

With this kind of record, it\'s not surprising that the current Fast Track
bill explicitly prohibits the inclusion of labor, not to mention
environmental, agreements in trade treaties.

Sources are now saying that, most likely, THERE WILL BE A VOTE ON FAST TRACK
BEFORE CONGRESS\' AUGUST RECESS! Now is the time to take action to defeat
Fast Track.


2. Fast Track talking points and call script


What do you want your Representative to do?

***Oppose Fast Track.
We\'re demanding opposition to any Fast Track bill, including the Crane Bill
currently in the House (HR 2149). Fast Track is fundamentally undemocratic,
and we disagree with it, even if it has labor and environmental standards
written into its text.

***Send a written response to your call.
Be sure to speak with the staff person who works on trade issues at your
Representative\'s office. Don\'t leave your message with the receptionist, as
your opinion will not be tallied. Give the person you speak with your home
address, and be sure to request a written response to your call-otherwise,
your opinion may not be \"tallied.\"


CALL SCRIPT:

Ask to speak to the member of the staff who does trade matters.

Hi, this is ---(your name)---, and I want to know Representative __________\'
s position on Fast Track. Is Representative __________opposed to the Crane
Bill, HR 2149? What about other forms of Fast Track?

It is important to me that Representative ___________ take a strong stance
against all forms of Fast Track, the Crane Bill and any other that may be
introduced into Congress.

Please send me a written response with the member\'s position to these
crucial questions. Working families are counting on the strong support of
every Representative. As a constituent, I will be watching this vote
closely.

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FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:

Campaign for Labor Rights 202-544-9355, CLRDC [at] afgj.org
Mexico Solidarity Network 773-583-7728, msn [at] mexicosolidarity.org
CISPES (212) 229-1290 cispesnatl [at] people-link.net