Congressman Thompson Prepares For Cafta Vote: Vows To Fight 'New Nafta'

Congressman Thompson Prepares For Cafta Vote: Vows To Fight 'New Nafta'
Wednesday, July 27, 2005

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, United States Representative Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS) released the following statement regarding the impending House vote on CAFTA-DR, the Dominican Republic-Central America-United States:

"I oppose CAFTA.

"At a time when NAFTA has proven to be an outright failure, it makes no sense to extend it to other countries when Congress has yet to address the serious problems that exist with NAFTA itself. CAFTA fails to address the problem of labor protections. There is no requirement that CAFTA countries' laws include any of the five core labor standards - bans on child labor, discrimination, slave labor and the rights to form unions and to bargain collectively.

"Instead, the bill says we do not care whether you use child labor or forced labor. This bill says we do not care whether your companies pollute the water or poison the air. This bill says we do not care how safe your products are. And this bill says we don't care if you break prior trade agreements so long as we continue to negotiate new ones.

"If Congress approves another inequitable trade agreement, it will become a mere spectator to momentous trade agreements negotiated by administrations more concerned with the gains for big business, rather than their tragic consequences. We must re-write trade rules to benefit workers and to raise the living standards of people, not just reward the narrow self interests of corporations."

http://benniethompson.house.gov/HoR/MS02/News/Press+Releases/2005/07-27-05+Congressman+Thompson.htm