Washington Post, letter to the editor, Labor's Prerogative: Justice

[Omaha Steve]

Labor's Prerogative: Justice

Sunday, July 29, 2007; Page B06

Robert D. Novak's July 19 column, "Big Labor's Trade Shutdown," would have one believe that calling for changes in the domestic laws of another country with respect to pending free-trade agreements is only the prerogative of the U. S. government.

In a global economy, hardly any questions are raised about the pressure that corporations apply to gain advantages when they outsource work or move their operations overseas. If they can do that and the president can use a war to force democracy on another country, then John J. Sweeney of the AFL-CIO should not be criticized for doing his job: protecting the interests of not only workers of this country but also workers around the world who labor in unsafe conditions, receive inadequate wages and turn out products that fail to meet environmental, health and safety standards.

It is time to put some teeth into fair-trade agreements.

MICHAEL J. SULLIVAN

General President

Sheet Metal Workers' International Association

Washington