[CTC] North Carolina | Cong. Kissell to USTR Kirk: Focus on Jobs

[Citizens Trade Campaign]

<http://www.epi.org/economic_snapshots/entry/free_trade_agreement_with_korea
_will_cost_u.s._jobs/> South Korea Free Trade Agreement Will Destroy
American Jobs 

Posted by RightDemocrat 7/18/10

 
<http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_orkXxp0bhEA/R8mIG6isBYI/AAAAAAAAFJU/RnZwPk2ZY_8/s
400/080301-obama-mailer-nafta.jpg> Description:
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_orkXxp0bhEA/R8mIG6isBYI/AAAAAAAAFJU/RnZwPk2ZY_8/s4
00/080301-obama-mailer-nafta.jpg

THE ABOVE OBAMA CAMPAIGN MAILER FROM 2008 PROMISES TO PROTECT AMERICAN
WORKERS FROM UNFAIR TRADE AGREEMENTS. NOW IN OFFICE, PRESIDENT OBAMA WANTS A
FREE TRADE AGREEMENT WITH SOUTH KOREA PROJECTED TO DESTROY 159,000 U.S.
JOBS.
http://rightdemocrat.blogspot.com/2010/07/south-korea-free-trade-agreement-w
ill.html


President Obama has been a disappointment on trade issues. With high
unemployment and a record trade deficit, Obama needs to be fighting to
protect American jobs. Action to save American jobs does not require 60
votes in the U.S. Senate. With the stroke of a pen, the President could
impose tariffs to protect American workers from unfair foreign competition.
Imposing a 10% tariff on all imported goods would help restore balance to
our trading relationships, revitalize the domestic manufacturing sector,
create American jobs and lower the national debt. Instead, the President
either clings to neo-liberal assumptions about the importance of free trade
or lacks the political courage to reverse our self-destructive trade
policies. As American workers stand in unemployment lines or face wage
stagnation, Obama is now picking a fight with his political base by
supporting a new free trade agreement with South Korea.

A study by the well-respected Economic Policy Institute predicts the U.S.
trade deficit with South Korea will grow by about $16.7 billion and destroy
159,000 American jobs within seven years of implementation if approved by
Congress. 

EPI economist Robert Scott writes:

The Obama administration has announced that it intends to finalize a new
free trade agreement with South Korea (KORUS FTA) in time for the next G-20
summit in November. Although the U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC)
projects this will have a small positive impact on the U.S. trade balance,
and "minimal or negligible " impact on U.S. employment, history shows that
such trade deals lead to rapidly growing trade deficits and job loss in the
United States.

The USITC has a history of vastly underestimating the negative impacts that
free trade agreements have on the U.S. economy. In 1999, it estimated that
China's entry into the World Trade Organization would increase the U.S.
trade deficit with China by only $1.0 billion, and have no significant
impact on U.S. employment. In fact, the U.S. trade deficit with China
increased by $185 billion between 2001 (when China entered the WTO) and
2008, and 2.4 million U.S. jobs have been displaced or lost. The U.S. trade
deficit with Mexico also rose rapidly after the North American Free Trade
Agreement (NAFTA) took effect in 1994.

With U.S. unemployment close to 10%, and an employment gap of nearly 11
million jobs, it would be foolish and self-destructive for the United States
to implement a free trade agreement with Korea that leads to further job
loss. 

http://www.epi.org/economic_snapshots/entry/free_trade_agreement_with_korea_
will_cost_u.s._jobs/

Public Citizen's Eyes on Trade blog compiled this selection of quotes
concerning the proposed South Korea free trade agreement:

"Some Democrats and consumer activists have protested the pact over concerns
with the financial services title of the bill that they say encourages the
same deregulation policies that led to the recession." 

http://citizen.typepad.com/eyesontrade/2010/07/strong-opposition-to-korea-ft
a.html#more

- Congress Daily, "Envoys Make Case To Continue Work On Agreements," 7/15/10

"Since Obama and Lee's June 26 announcement, groups such as the AFL-CIO
labor federation and Public Citizen have raised concerns about investment,
financial services trade and other provisions of the pact they say also need
to be fixed."

- Reuters, "S.Korea open to 'creative' fix for US autos, beef," 7/14/10

"The stated focus on only narrow changes to the FTA puts the administration
at odds with a number of FTA critics, including the AFL-CIO and members of
the House Trade Working Group who are on record with a broad range of
objections. A union source said .the extent of the political fight that will
break out over the U.S.-Korea FTA.will depend on the substance of the
improvements that the administration can obtain."

- Inside U.S. Trade, "Administration Signals Limited Auto, Beef Fixes For
U.S.-Korea FTA," 7/2/10

"Critics of a trade pact negotiated with South Korea by President George W.
Bush are beginning to make clear how difficult it will be for the Obama
administration to forge an acceptable compromise by November's Group of 20
summit meeting. . The negotiations would likely have to go further than just
beef and autos to satisfy influential blocs in the Democratic party. Lori
Wallach, director of Public Citizen's Global Trade Watch division, said
Sunday the deal would deregulate financial services and investor
protections, which would be at cross purposes with the just-finalized
financial regulatory overhaul bill. 'If the administration wants to obtain
broad support on what may well be its first trade vote, it will need to fix
more than beef and auto trade problems, because they have inherited a
leftover Bush Korea trade pact text that includes the same outrageous
foreign investor rights as NAFTA plus the strongest dose of financial
deregulation ever contained in a U.S. trade pact,' Wallach said. Two weeks
ago, in a Detroit speech to the UAW, AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka gave a
preview of what is to come should the White House push the Korea deal. 'In
our new economy, this fight is global. We cannot ease off the fight against
trade agreements that favor Wall Street over workers throughout the world,'
he said. 'And that means the South Korea-U.S. trade deal. The days of trade
agreements that protect the rights of wealthy investors and neglect the
rights of workers and our environment must be over.'"

- Congress Daily, "Korea Deal Expected To Get Bumpy Ride," 6/28/10

"Leading labor unions, including those represented by the AFL-CIO, have made
it clear that the administration has to go beyond the areas of automobiles
and beef in terms of changes to the U.S.-Korea FTA. These unions have also
stressed to the administration that the labor community is unified in
opposing the Korea FTA as it now stands, sources said. Labor sources this
week argued that absent substantial and far-reaching changes, the
administration will face unified and fierce opposition from the labor
community. . AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka issued a statement last week
urging the administration to seek changes in the areas of investment,
services and procurement."

- Inside U.S. Trade, "Critics Seek Details On Extent, Nature Of Possible
Korea FTA Changes," 7/9/10

"It now has Obama's support, but his party still shows little enthusiasm
ahead of November's congressional elections. Labor unions and other core
Democratic supporters say foreign trade agreements steal American jobs. That
puts Obama in the unusual position of relying on help from Republicans, who
have opposed in near-perfect unison his biggest initiatives, including his
overhauls of health care and financial regulations. . The Democratic
backlash was quick. Rep. Louise Slaughter, D-N.Y., expressed surprise that
Obama would 'try to slide this poorly written trade deal past the American
public when Congress has already said that the deal is not good for our
economy or workers.'"

- Associated Press, "Democrats uneasy on US-SKorea deal," 7/3/10

"US President Barack Obama is risking a revolt within his own party as he
presses ahead on a free trade agreement with South Korea, setting the stage
for a showdown after November legislative elections. Organized labor, a
critical support base for Obama's Democratic Party, and several Democrats
have already vowed to fight the deal which they say would hurt workers. .
Obama himself criticized the deal as a senator."

- Agence France-Presse, "Obama risks party showdown on S.Korea deal," 7/3/10

"The sudden timeline for wrapping up the agreement set off a firestorm among
Democrats.who say the president first needs to endorse legislation that
ensures equal market opportunities for American workers. For Democratic
trade critics, Obama's free trade push runs contrary to his talk during the
Democratic primaries of getting tough on trade agreements and adds to
already sky-high anxieties over jobs in their districts."

- Roll Call, "Democrats Won't Rubber-Stamp South Korea Trade Deal," 7/4/10

President Barack Obama has angered unions by picking an election-year battle
with organized labor over trade. . 'We don't think it's a good move
economically or politically,' said Thea Lee, a trade lobbyist for the
AFL-CIO. . Labor argues the trade agreement will exacerbate problems in the
U.S. economy and lead to the elimination of more U.S. manufacturing jobs. .
The groups have a strong ally in Rep. Sandy Levin, the chairman of the House
Ways and Means Committee. . On Saturday, he blasted the Korean deal for not
addressing regulatory and tax barriers that have led to one-way trade with
South Korea and hurt the U.S. industrial sector." 
- The Hill, "South Korean trade deal pits Obama against labor base," 7/1/10

Call your Senators and Representative and urge them to oppose the South
Korea Free Trade Agreement. Ask your Senators and Representative to instead
support fair trade by co-sponsoring H.R. 2012 known as The Trade Act. 

http://www.citizen.org/documents/TRADEActFactSheet2009.pdf

 

 

 

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.citizenstrade.org/pipermail/ctcfield-citizenstrade.org/attachments/20100719/df12f457/attachment-0002.htm>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: not available
Type: image/jpeg
Size: 41111 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://lists.citizenstrade.org/pipermail/ctcfield-citizenstrade.org/attachments/20100719/df12f457/attachment-0002.jpeg>