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Obama Camp Memo From Supporting Union Leaders TO: Interested Parties FR: UNITE Here International Union General President Bruce Raynor Transport Workers Union President James Little General President United Association of Plumbers and Pipefitters William P. Hite RE: Senator Clinton’s visit to the Buckeye State The Clinton campaign declared that Ohio is a must win state for Senator Clinton. But Senator Clinton will face a formidable opponent in Ohio: her record. Ohio voters will judge candidates based on whether they have been consistent in standing up to special interests, opposing tax breaks for corporations that shelter their profits offshore, and fighting against unfair trade deals that cost American workers thousands of jobs. Today, Senator Clinton will visit the Mahoning Valley and witness some of the devastation that NAFTA, PNTR and other unfair trade agreements have caused putting thousands of American workers out of jobs. As late as September 2006, Senator Clinton touted the President Clinton’s support for NAFTA. Ohio workers know the truth about NAFTA — Ohio ranks 5th among all states in the number of jobs and opportunities lost due to the rising trade deficit with Canada and Mexico since the passage of NAFTA. Ohio lost nearly 50,000 jobs due to NAFTA alone. And they know that PNTR did not create leverage for the U.S. over China, it led the way to a massive trade deficit, unenforced trade laws, and more Americans looking for work. Barack Obama believes NAFTA and PNTR were the wrong policies for America – and he has introduced legislation – the Patriot Employers Act – that would eliminate tax breaks for corporations that ship jobs overseas and provide incentives for corporations to invest in their U.S. workforce. Senator Clinton has the opportunity to come clean with Ohio voters today once and for all – was it a mistake to support NAFTA and PNTR? THE CLINTON RECORD ON TRADE AS LATE AS SEPTEMBER 2006: Hillary Said NAFTA Was A Victory For President Clinton, Would Lead To An Economic Improvement. In 1996, on a trip to Brownsville, Texas, Clinton “touted the president’s support for the North American Free Trade Agreement, saying it would reap widespread benefits in the region.” In her memoir, Clinton wrote, “Senator Dole was genuinely interested in health care reform but wanted to run for President in 1996. He couldn’t hand incumbent Bill Clinton any more legislative victories, particularly after Bill’s successes on the budget, the Brady bill and NAFTA.” And according to a Newsday issues rundown in 2006, “Clinton thinks NAFTA has been a boon to the economy.”
JANUARY 2008: Bill Clinton Says “A Lot Of People Think NAFTA’s A Bigger Problem Than it Is. During an event in Las Vegas, Clinton said “She believes that NAFTA, she believes that all our trade agreements should be reviewed in the first 90 to 120 days of taking office. She would have a total moratorium on all new trade deals until we conducted a review. And one of the things that we have to examine is the point I made earlier. That is, is the trade agreement basically fair, but we just don’t enforce it. A lot of people think that NAFTA’s a bigger problem than it is. Our problem with Mexico, our trade deficit with Mexico is mostly because we buy oil from them.”
CHINA
2000: Hillary Clinton Claimed China’s Entry Into The World Trade Organization Would Be Good For American Workers Despite The Already Massive Trade Deficit With China. “I know many people, here in Western New York in particularly and Erie Country, are concerned about this vote, and I share the concerns that many of my supporters in organized labor have expressed to me, because I do think we have to make sure that we improve labor rights, we improve environmental standards in our bilateral and our multilateral trade agreements. But on balance, I’ve looked at this, I’ve studied it, I think it is in the interests of America and American workers that we provide the option for China to go into the WTO. Right now, we are trading with China. We have a huge trade deficit with China. The agreement that has been negotiated between our two countries would open their markets to us in a way that they are not yet open, and in fact, for many large manufactured products, like automobiles, we would have the first chance to really get in and compete in that marketplace. I also think it’s not just an issue of trade. I believe it’s a security consideration. I want to do everything we can to persuade China to improve its human rights record, to be sure that it doesn’t in any way interfere with its neighbors or with Taiwan. I don’t think you gain that by isolating China. I think we must work out as best we can a relationship in trade, and a very firm statement and commitment to improving human rights and try to make as much progress as possible.”
2000: Hillary Clinton Supported Permanent Normal Trade Relations (PNTR) For China, Claimed It Would Create Leverage. “Senate candidate Hillary Clinton said Thursday she supported permanent normal trade relations for China, but slammed Beijing’s restrictive birthrate policies. Clinton said she favored ‘engagement’ with China through trade as a way to ‘have whatever influence we can have’ on Beijing to change its dismal record on human rights, labor law and the environment. ‘I understand the challenges they are facing with population, minorities and the move from the countryside into the cities,’ Clinton said Thursday. ‘But I would hope that they would improve their human rights record, and that includes reproductive rights,’ she added.”
THE PRICE OHIO HAS PAID
Ohio Ranked 5th Among All States In The Number Of Jobs And Jobs Opportunities Lost And In Percent Jobs Lost Due To The Rising Trade Deficit With Canada And Mexico Since The Passage Of NAFTA. Ohio ranked fifth among all states in number of jobs and job opportunities lost due to the rising trade deficit with Canada and Mexico since passage of NAFTA, with 49,886 positions lost. Ohio also ranked fifth in percent of jobs lost, with nearly one percent of the state’s employment (.92 percent) lost. <“NAFTA’s Cautionary Tale,” 7/20/05 <http://www.epi.org/content.cfm/ib214 <http://www.epi.org/content.cfm/ib214> > >
Ohio Ranked 7th Among All States In The Number Of Jobs Lost Due To The Rising Trade Deficit With China, With 66,100 Jobs Lost. Ohio ranked seventh among all states in net job loss due to the growing trade deficit with China, with 66,100 jobs lost. Ohio lost 1.2 percent of the state’s employment due to the rising trade deficit with China. <“Costly Trade With China,” 5/2/07 <http://www.epi.org/content.cfm/bp188 <http://www.epi.org/content.cfm/bp188> > >
Dayton, OH: Deuer Manufacturing Laid Of 158 Workers Because The Company Shifted Work To Mexico. Dayton-based Deuer Manufacturing Inc. laid off 158 workers because the company shifted its tire winch assembly plant to Mexico, according to the report.
Cleveland, OH: Ford Motor Company Scheduled To Close An Engine-Casting Plant In 2009 Costing More Than 1,700 Employees Their Jobs. Ford Motor Co. says it will close an engine-casting plant in the Cleveland suburb of Brook Park. The shutdown, scheduled for 2009, is part of a companywide restructuring plan that will close 16 facilities by 2012. Like other workers at the Ohio plant, Mike Theus said he knew about the company’s restructuring program. Yet the announcement that his plant would close still came as a shock. More than 1,700 Ford employees in the Cleveland area will feel the economic blow — 1,200 at the casting plant and another 500 at a nearby engine plant that will be shuttered for at least a year. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=10067000 <http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=10067000> > >
Moraine, OH: GM Planned To Lay Off 340 Workers At Its Assembly Plant In 2008. General Motors Corp. plans to lay off about 340 of the 2,250 production workers at its assembly plant in this Dayton suburb next year because of expected softening in demand for the midsize sport utility vehicles the plant makes. Layoffs will start in the first quarter and continue through mid-2008 while cutting production from 58 SUVS to 50 an hour, Jessica Peck, spokeswoman for the GM Moraine plant, said Wednesday. GM told members of the International Union of Electronic Workers-Communications Workers of America Local 798 at Moraine in October that production cuts were coming, based on GM’s market forecasts, Peck said. Union members were informed on Wednesday of the number of layoffs expected, she said. http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071213/UPDATE/712130449/1148/auto01 <http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071213/UPDATE/712130449/1148/auto01> > >
Toledo, OH: Chrysler Planed To Close Four Assembly Plants, Affecting About 10,500 Workers. In its lawsuit filed Friday, Chrysler claimed Plastech no longer can meet its production demands. Monday morning, Chrysler announced plans to temporarily close four assembly plants and shut down one shift at another, affecting about 10,500 workers. Plants to be closed are in Sterling Heights, Mich.; Newark, Del.; Toledo, Ohio; and Belvidere, Ill., while the second shift at Toledo Supplier Park in Toledo will be dismissed, the company said. http://www.clickondetroit.com/money/15210593/detail.html <http://www.clickondetroit.com/money/15210593/detail.html> > >
Archbold, OH: Archbold Factory Was Expected To Cut 800 Jobs. For years, the village about 50 miles west of Toledo has had more jobs than it had people. That’s still true, but its economy is changing. One Archbold factory has closed, and two other plant closings have been announced. http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070121/NEWS17/70121001 <http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070121/NEWS17/70121001> > >
Toledo, OH: Leggest & Platt Inc.’s Young Spring & Wire Division Plant Cut 168 Jobs. Together, they are expected to cull some 800 jobs from the village of 4,505 residents. In June, Leggett & Platt Inc.’s Young Spring & Wire Division plant, which made automotive seating components, closed, ending 168 jobs that averaged about $16 an hour.
Archbold, OH: ConAgra Foods Cut 400 Workers. In September, ConAgra Foods Inc. announced a restructuring that is to include closing its Archbold plant that employs more than 400 as well as a smaller Perrysburg Township plant. Layoffs at the Archbold plant, which has made Healthy Choice soup and La Choy products, are to start Feb. 15 and continue through midsummer. Both ConAgra plants have veteran workers who are paid $15 to $23 an hour, plus about $10 an hour in benefits, according to union leaders. http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070121/NEWS17/70121001 <http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070121/NEWS17/70121001> > >
Archbold, OH: Cooper-Standard Automotive Cut 215 Jobs. Earlier this month, Cooper-Standard Automotive Inc. said it would close its Archbold plant, ending the jobs of 215 employees by the summer of 2008. http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070121/NEWS17/70121001 <http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070121/NEWS17/70121001> >[br />
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