WASHINGTON - Ways and Means Ranking Member Sander Levin (D-MI) and Way and Means Trade Subcommittee Ranking Member Jim McDermott (D-WA) today released the following joint statement regarding the Administration’s indication that it is ready to begin technical discussions on the draft implementing bill for the U.S.-Colombia Free Trade Agreement:
“Democrats in the U.S. House have been working to change U.S. trade policy for over a decade. In the era of increasing globalization, trade policy must be a tool to shape the rules of competition and spread the benefits of globalization.
“Democrats in the U.S. House succeeded in adding enforceable international labor standards in the text of the U.S.-Peru Free Trade Agreement for the first time, landmark environmental provisions and increased access to generic medicines. We worked with Peru as it brought its labor law framework into compliance with international standards before Congress approved that FTA and we were pleased to support that fixed Agreement.
“We made it clear to the Bush Administration that the long-standing problem of one-way trade with Korea - where 75 percent of our trade deficit with them was in autos - must be addressed. When they failed to remedy that closed market we stood in opposition to that flawed agreement.
“We also made it clear that Panama and Colombia must act to bring their labor laws into compliance with international standards. That Panama must also address a long-standing tax haven problem and Colombia must address violence and impunity that has been so pervasive in their society.
“Unfortunately, Republicans in Congress - wedded to an outdated notion that more trade was always better no matter the terms, conditions and consequences - were calling for the passage of all of the flawed FTAs and the Obama Administration inherited three flawed trade agreements.
“The question raised by the U.S.-Korea FTA was would we stand up for U.S. businesses and workers and insist on two-way trade? With the changes gained last fall in eliminating non-tariff barriers and adjusting the tariff provisions, the answer is yes and we should approve this fixed FTA.
“The question raised by the U.S.-Panama FTA was would they bring their labor laws into compliance with international standards and would a tax haven problem that had languished for eight years under the Bush Administration finally be addressed? The answer is yes and we should approve this fixed FTA.
“The improvements to both the Korea and Panama FTAs would not have occurred without our insistence and reflect a long-overdue change to U.S. trade policy. They have been fixed to embody our view that trade must be a two-way street and that other countries should not manipulate market conditions to keep our products out while they use their sheltered market to gain an advantage in the U.S. market. They have been fixed to reflect our view that workers must have basic rights if they are going to improve their financial standing and climb the economic ladder. This is not only vital to individuals and their families, it is critical to reducing poverty and the development of a country’s middle class. When we are integrating the U.S. economy with that of a developing country, it is important to our businesses, which need consumers to buy their goods and services. And, it’s important to U.S. workers, who should not compete with workers whose rights are suppressed, or who are killed in the exercise of those rights.
“The U.S. - Colombia FTA must meet this standard.
“Colombia is a key ally in a region that is very important to the United States. President Santos has expressed a determination to address conditions affecting the role of workers and their basic rights. And, the U.S. and Colombia have agreed to an Action Plan: Leveling the Playing Field: Labor Protections and the U.S.-Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement that includes commitments to address serious issues regarding worker rights, violence and impunity as we have insisted on for years.
“As Ambassador Kirk’s letter indicates, ‘Colombia still has important work to accomplish to address the objectives of the Action Plan.’ With important commitments yet to be realized, we must fully ensure that there is ‘Action’ in the Action Plan.
“For instance, the cooperatives regulations - intended to address abuses which allow Colombian employers to avoid the direct hiring of workers and hinder their collective bargaining rights as noted by the International Labor Organization (ILO) and our own State Department - will not be issued until June 15. While Colombia has provided drafts of these regulations to the Administration, those drafts are not public. It is not clear how they address the significant loopholes which historically have taken away the basic rights of more than a million workers in Colombia.
“Likewise, the commitments Colombia agreed to in the Action Plan to rein in abuse of collective pacts, which discourage workers’ participation in unions (and are another area routinely criticized by the ILO), do not go into effect until June 15 and need to be strengthened.
“It is also not clear that Colombia has yet met the minimal commitments it made under the Action Plan to address broad prohibitions on the right to strike in so-called essential services, another area of Colombian labor laws frequently identified by the ILO as inconsistent with international norms. Under the Action Plan, Colombia agreed to create and disseminate guidance based on Colombian court decisions narrowing its prohibitions on the right to strike, so that workers have a clearer understanding of their rights in this area. We look forward to receiving this guidance and working to strengthen this area of the Action Plan.
“The question raised by the U.S.-Colombia FTA is will workers be able to exercise their basic internationally-recognized rights and be free from the threat of violence? That question has not been answered yet and we intend to continue aggressively focusing on strengthening and implementing the Action Plan."
