Unions Seek to Punish Dems Who Supported CAFTA -- GOPUSA

Unions Seek to Punish Dems Who Supported CAFTA
By Randy Hall
CNSNews.com Staff Writer/Editor
August 9, 2005

(CNSNews.com) -- Union leaders have begun taking steps to punish the Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives who allegedly "sold us out to big corporations" by voting in favor of a controversial trade agreement in July.

In one such effort, seven labor leaders have sent a letter urging House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) to remove New York Reps. Gregory Meeks (6th Dist.) and Edolphus Towns (10th Dist.) from their congressional committees because they "voted to send American jobs overseas by supporting the Central American Free Trade Agreement."

The Democratic congressmen "had an opportunity to act on behalf of workers here in the United States and across Central America by stopping CAFTA," the document states. Instead, they "used their committee membership cards to access corporate America's ATM at the expense of working families.

"It is time for Meeks and Towns to turn in their cash cards," the letter concludes.

The document was sent after more than a dozen unions and allied groups held a rally in New York City on Sunday to criticize CAFTA, which created a free-trade zone between the United States and six Latin American countries -- Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua -- and passed the House by only two votes, 217 to 215.

"This vote that took place last week is not a 'yes' vote for CAFTA; it is a 'no' vote for good-paying American jobs," Brian McLaughlin, president of the New York City Central Labor Council, said at the rally.

"To say we're disappointed is an understatement," he added as a member of the crowd shouted: "Make 'em pay, make 'em pay!"

Jim Conigliaro, a spokesman for the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, stated that Meeks and Towns "sold us out to big corporations; they sold out their constituents, they sold out us Democrats.

"We're not usually a one-issue union," Conigliaro added, but "this issue was too big. We can't forget. Meeks and Towns, they gotta go."

To accomplish that goal, Wilfredo Larancuent, a member of the Working Families Party executive committee, announced that unions would also begin a campaign to inform 75,000 workers in the congressional districts served by Meeks and Towns about how the pair had voted on CAFTA.

While neither representative attended the rally, Meeks' staff was present to distribute a statement that said he believed the agreement would bring more jobs to his district and "is just one issue where my friends in organized labor and I disagree."

As Cybercast News Service previously reported, voting for CAFTA was a difficult decision for Rep. Melissa Bean (D-Ill.), who is considered a "vulnerable incumbent" by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.

While stating that CAFTA was "not perfect," Bean said the agreement would "encourage job growth and market expansion that will benefit our local economy

"I will vote for it for that reason," she added.

Bean's announcement drew a sharp response from the presidents of 20 unions, who said that "there must be real and measurable consequences for opposing labor on this issue."

The first of those consequences came on Aug. 4, when the 20,000-member Northeastern Illinois Federation of Labor cancelled its plan to honor Bean as "Person of the Year" at its annual $100-a-plate fundraiser in September.

"Organized labor was a key ingredient in your upset election," the federation's executive board wrote to Bean, adding that union leaders believed "you shared and understood the interests of working families. Apparently, you do not."

In their letter, the federation noted that previous Bean votes for eliminating the estate tax, extending "onerous provisions" of the Patriot Act and supporting a bill "making it harder for working people to seek bankruptcy protection" also "were votes against the interests of working families."

Federation President Lee Schillinger stated that the fundraiser would still be held, but with an alternate program. And although Rep. Bean won't be the honoree, she is still welcome to attend if she buys a ticket, he added.

"The federation has a right to present their award to whoever they choose, and they certainly feel strongly about CAFTA," said Brian Herman, a spokesman for Bean. "The congresswoman values their perspective and carefully considered their point of view before supporting the agreement."

"Almost all the unions in this particular area supported her both with mobilization -- knocking on doors -- and with money, and up comes what is a true test in terms of a vote, and she can't stand with us?" asked Gerald McEntee, president of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, the largest union in the AFL-CIO.

"She'll certainly feel an effect in terms of contributions and resources," McEntee said. "She'll pay a serious price with the workers in her area."