>Date: Thu, 4 Sep 1997 10:29:42 -0700 (PDT) >Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >Sender: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >Precedence: bulk >From: Michael Eisenscher <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >To: Labor Research and Action Project <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >Subject: WARNING: "FAST TRACK" TO MISERY >Mime-Version: 1.0 >X-Sender: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >X-To: (Recipient list suppressed) >X-Sender: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > >On Novebemr 14-16 there will be a major international conference in San >Francisco -- the Western Hemisphere Workers' Conference Against NAFTA and >Privatizations. Delegations are expected from labor movements throughout >Latin America, Canada, and the U.S.. > >Congress will very shortly open debate on whether to give President Clinton >"fast track" authorization in forthcoming trade negotiations. Under fast >track authorization, the President would not be required to submit the >individual provisions of new trade agreements to the scrutiny and approval >by Congress. The final treaties would be voted up or down. Fast track gave >us NAFTA. In the works are similar agreements with Chile, other countries >of So. America and Asia. > >In preparation for the conference, and to draw attention to the dangers of >Fast Track authorization, the W. Hemisphere Workers' Conference organizers >are sponsoring the following event. > >Please circulate this information to your union and other concerned >organizations and individuals. >|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| >||||||||||| > >EMERGENCY ORGANIZING RALLY! > >JOIN US TO KICK OFF THE BAY AREA MOBILIZATION TO DERAIL THE "FAST TRACK" AND >TO BUILD SUPPORT FOR THE WESTERN HEMISPHERE WORKERS' CONFERENCE > >* Become an organizer against "FAST TRACK" legislation, NAFTA expansion, >and the Multilateral Agreement on Investment (MAI). > >* Find out from Bay Area unionists and anti-NAFTA activists what Clinton's >FAST TRACK power to negotiate trade deals will mean for workers' rights, our >health and the environment. > >* Participate in organizing workshops by Congressional District to map out >an emergency campaign to get our Congressional representatives to oppose >FAST TRACK. > >* Help prepare public hearings with local Congressional representatives on >this issue. > >* Help organize Bay Area support for the Western Hemisphere Workers' >Conference! > >Saturday, September 13, 1997 -- 3 p.m. to 6 p.m >at International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) Local 6 Hall >255 - 9th St. (between Howard & Folsom) in San Francisco > >There will be speakers, informational tables and music. For more >information, call (415) 681-5868. > >JOIN US FOR THE >Western Hemisphere >Workers' Conference >Against NAFTA & Privatizations >Ramada Inn Civic Center >San Francisco, California > >This historic conference, endorsed by the California Labor Federation >(AFL-CIO), the United Farm Workers, the Bay Area Labor Councils, the ILWU, >and scores of other union federations, union locals and community and >environmental organizations from throughout the Americas, will bring >together hundreds of unionists and activists to build a unified >hemisphere-wide response to the policies of "free trade," privatization and >pillage. > >* Conference plenaries will feature leaders of the U.S. and international >trade union movement. There will also be an array of issue-specific and >sector and industrial workshops. > >* Fee: $85 - includes Friday night banquet dinner, coffee, pastries, >conference bulletins, packet. ($65 registration for all sessions except >Friday night banquet dinner.) > >All registrations must be received by October 15 at WHC, c/o San Francisco >Labor Council, 1188 Franklin St. #203, San Francisco, CA 94109. For more >information, call (415) 681-5868 or 440-4809. > >* Help us promote this conference as widely as possible. Come to our next >Conference planning meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 9 (at 7 p.m.) at Global >Exchange, 2017 Mission St., 3rd Floor. > >Be part of history in the making! > >Sept. 13 Emergency Rally sponsored by Bay Area 50 Years is Enough Campaign, >Alliance for Democracy and Organizing Committee for the Western Hemisphere >Workers' Conference. > >The Western Hemisphere Conference web page can be accessed at: >http://www.labornet.org/walters/whc > >||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| >||||| >************************************************ >ACTION ALERT!!! > >Call Your Member of Congress >Stop the Fast Track to Economic Disaster > >In September, legislation will be introduced in Congress to >grant President Clinton "Fast Track" negotiating authority. >Fast Track restricts the ability of Congress to influence >international trade and investment agreements. Under Fast >Track, Congress cannot amend the agreements, and the amount of >time Congress has to debate them is extremely limited, meaning >that most members of Congress never even read these agreements >before voting on them! > >The legislation that will be introduced in September is >expected to provide the President with 5-8 years of Fast Track >authority. The Fast Track legislation is not expected to >require that trade or investment agreements include labor and >environmental protections written into them. This means that >future agreements could have more useless side agreements as >with NAFTA — or worse — no mention of labor and environment at all! > >If Fast Track passes, two agreements are expected to come up >for consideration within the next year: NAFTA expansion and >the Multilateral Agreement on Investment (MAI). >++++++++++++++ >NAFTA Expansion >++++++++++++++ >Despite more than three years of NAFTA failures, President >Clinton and NAFTA's corporate backers plan to use Fast Track >to expand NAFTA to all of Latin America — starting with Chile. > >NAFTA's failures include: > >## The loss of an estimated 420,000 jobs and wage stagnation in the United >States; > >## Increased pollution along the U.S.-Mexico border, assaults by >business interests on environmental laws in all three NAFTA >countries, and the weakening of U.S. highway safety and food safety standards; > >## In Mexico real wages have dropped 27%, and more than two >million workers in the agricultural, small business, and small >industrial sectors have become unemployed. >+++++++++++++++++++++++++++ >Multilateral Agreement on Investment >+++++++++++++++++++++++++++ >The MAI, also known as the "Corporate Bill of Rights," is >being negotiated by the worlds richest countries who plan to >strong arm developing countries to accept the MAI terms. > >Countries that sign the MAI will be required to: > >$ Open all economic sectors to foreign ownership; >$ Treat foreign investors as if they were domestic firms; >$ Allow corporations to sue governments directly if they feel > any government regulations impede "free trade"; >$ Settle disputes through unelected international panels whose > decisions would be non-appealable; > >MAI will hasten the "race to the bottom" in environmental & >living standards by prohibiting many protection laws. > >Spread the Word: We Can Stop Fast Track > >Big Business is currently running a multi-million dollar >campaign to pass Fast Track. Fast Track can be stopped only if >members of Congress hear from voters who oppose Fast Track, >NAFTA expansion, and MAI. > >Reps. Nancy Pelosi, Lynn Woolsey, Ellen Tauscher, Anna Eshoo, >and Zoe Lofgren are undecided on Fast Track. > >Call them toll free at 1-888-723-5246 and tell them, "Vote No on Fast Track" >(or write to Rep ______, House of Representatives, Washington DC 20515.) > >"Stop Fast Track, NAFTA, and MAI" postcards are available from Inkworks Press. >Call 510-845-7111 for information. > >For more information on Fast Track, NAFTA and MAI, call Public >Citizen at 202-546-4996 >or check the website http://www.rtk.net/preamble >
