(The International Brotherhood of Teamsters issued the following on November 7.)
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Teamsters General President Jim Hoffa today said he was concerned about the rejection of important amendments offered during yesterday’s House Rules Committee hearing on the Peru Free Trade Agreement.
The Peru Free Trade Agreement is expected to be considered by the U.S. House of Representatives today.
“The real agenda to help mega-business at workers’ expense was revealed – in votes against amendments that would protect workers, consumers and the environment in Peru and the U.S,” Hoffa said.
“This agreement isn’t about creating jobs, it isn’t about protecting the environment and it isn’t about preventing dangerous products from reaching our consumers,” Hoffa said. “It isn’t even about access to Peruvian markets. It is about providing incentives for U.S. companies to leave the U.S.”
Hoffa said the proposed agreement also undermines U.S. sovereignty the same way NAFTA does.
The Democratic leadership and Republicans successfully opposed the following amendments:
* To ensure that nothing in the Peru FTA could be used to modify or amend current Buy American provisions in U.S. law;
* To require Peru to set food and product safety standards equal to those in the U.S. and ensure that food and products are inspected before they’re exported to the U.S. ;
* To prevent the agreement from taking effect until the Trade Adjustment Assistance program is reformed;
* To require that both the U.S. and Peru meet international standards on workers’ rights before the agreement takes effect;
* To sunset the law after two years if Peru’s exports of endangered mahogany don’t drop significantly; and
* To ensure that steps are taken to create a more balanced trading relationship if the U.S. trade deficit between the U.S. and Peru is more than $3 billion.
“This is just another disastrous free trade agreement, just as disastrous as NAFTA and CAFTA and PNTR,” Hoffa said. “Anyone who says those deals made things better for American workers hasn’t talked to an American worker lately.”
“Why the rush to pass a free trade agreement with Peru when Congress hasn’t passed a single spending bill five weeks after the budget year ended?” Hoffa said. “Maybe it’s because public opinion against these bad trade deals gets stronger every day.”