Bush Denies AFL-CIO China Trade Petition: A ‘Slap in the Face’ to Workers

[Omaha Steve]

Full article: http://blog.aflcio.org/2006/07/21/bush-denies-afl-cio-china-trade-petition-a-%e2%80%98slap-in-the-face%e2%80%99-to-workers/

Bush Denies AFL-CIO China Trade Petition: A ‘Slap in the Face’ to Workers

The Bush administration’s decision today to reject the AFL-CIO petition demanding China’s government stop denying workers their rights is “a slap in the face to Chinese and American workers who expect our government to uphold the law,” AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Richard Trumka says:

In rejecting this petition, President Bush has shown once again that he is beholden to corporate interests at the expense of working families.

It’s a travesty that after five years of failed trade policy that have contributed to the loss of almost three million U.S. manufacturing jobs and a record trade deficit of $726 billion, the Administration continues to take no meaningful action to support America’s workers or stop the abuse of workers in China.

The AFL-CIO, along with Reps. Ben Cardin (D-Md.) and Chris Smith (R- N.J.), filed a petition June 8 with the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) charging China’s government systematically denies workers’ basic rights and prevents them from exercising internationally recognized workers’ rights, such as the freedom to form unions. Further, the petition documents how China’s failure to protect workers’ rights is an unfair trade practice that costs U.S. jobs.

The petition, which was supported by some 40 members of the U.S. House and Senate calls on President George W. Bush to use his authority under U.S. law to impose sanctions against China or take other actions to remedy the situation. In June alone, more than 68,000 workers across the nation sent e-mails to President Bush and Congress urging immediate action to halt the abuse of China’s workers.

[LincolnMcGrath]

1. Union Kick

:kick:

[Monkeyman]

2. Double Kick

[China_cat]

3. OPEIU adding a kick

[bperci108]

4. And another kick from the Wobblies.

:kick:

As Poor Richard said: If we don't hang together, we will most assuredly hang separately.

[smacky44]

5. Would these be the same workers who voted for him in 2000 and 2004?

I believe lots union folks voted Republican in the past two Presidential elections.

[Omaha Steve]

6. Over 90% of union homes that voted, voted for Gore (2000) and Kerry (2004)

But if the vote is stolen, it doesn't matter.

[gizmo1979]

7. We've been slapped so many times

by this president we have callouses!