(The International Brotherhood of Teamsters distributed the following news release on June 23.)
WASHINGTON — The following is a statement from Teamsters General President James P. Hoffa:
The clock started ticking today on thousands of jobs in the United States with the introduction of the Central American Free Trade Agreement, or CAFTA. Congress has only 90 days to reject this job-killing trade proposal.
I call on my 1.4 million brothers and sisters in the Teamsters Union, along with working families across the United States and around the world, to mobilize against CAFTA and for job protections and basic international labor standards.
The time constraints imposed by the fast track trade negotiating authority mean that we need aggressive action. Teamsters will use every means possible to reach out to their members of Congress, including phone, fax, e-mail, advertisements and face-to-face visits. Senators and Representatives will not be able to ignore the powerful Teamster call to reject CAFTA.
As with most trade battles, the debate over CAFTA will undoubtedly put us at odds with politicians who usually stand with Teamsters and other working Americans. But as I have said before, the Teamsters have no permanent friends — just permanent interests.
All members of Congress are on notice that the Teamsters will fight to protect U.S. jobs from being sold overseas to the lowest bidder. Nobody gets a pass when it comes to selling out my members’ jobs and accelerating the global race to the bottom.