Colombia FTA passage 'gave green light' to union killings: AFL-CIO

[Judi Lynn]

Colombia FTA passage 'gave green light' to union killings: AFL-CIO
Thursday, 02 February 2012 15:33
Adriaan Alsema

The United States Congress launched "a new wave of anti-union violence" in Colombia when it approved the country's Free Trade Agreement, the largest union federation in the U.S. told Barack Obama Wednesday.

In a letter to the U.S. president, AFL-CIO president Richard Trumka urged Obama to "postpone indefinitely the implementation of the FTA, making it clear to the Colombian government that it will not be implemented until such anti-union violcence ceases and workers can exercise their rights to organize and bargain without fear."

According to the union federation, four more labor rights workers have been killed in the first month of this year.

Trumka also calls on Obama to "ensure that the State Department and other U.S. agencies comply in full with the human rights conditions imposed on military aid to Colombia," following a report by Human Rights Watch that accused the U.S. of failing to impose human rights conditions.

More:
http://colombiareports.com/colombia-news/news/21983-colombia-fta-passage-gave-green-light-to-union-killings-afl-cio.html

[99th_Monkey]

1. Hope to God that Obama listens up on this.

Damn. All Trumka is asking is for Obama to not endorse murders in Columbia and to fully enforce agreements already in place,
as condition of US aid to Columbia.

Hats off to Mr. Trumka for standing up for endangered unionizers everywhere.

[Rhiannon12866]

2. This is not late breaking, please feel free to repost in GD. Thanks!

[Rhiannon12866]

3. Unlocking. OP made a case that this is a new development in an ongoing story involving the WH.