/* Written 8:46 AM Aug 10, 1994 by kmander in igc:trade.news */
/* ---------- "GATT Alert! 8-10-94" ---------- */
GATT Alert!
Wednesday, August 10, 1994
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Headlines:
Op-Ed Pushes for Labor Standards in GATT
Another Plant Closing Thanks to NAFTA
Vermont Citizens Protest GATT
Representatives Oppose Patent Law Change
Baseball Strike? So What, We've Got GATT Trading Cards
European Power Struggle Continues Over GATT
GATT Video Available
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Op-Ed Pushes for Labor Standards in GATT
In an op-ed in Tuesday's New York Times, Amalgamated Clothing and Textile
Workers Union (ACTWU) President Jack Sheinkman argues that passage of the
Uruguay Round would put millions of U.S. jobs at risk and encourage the
exploitation of child workers around the globe. Sheinkman says it is not
only ethical but that it makes economic sense to include internationally
recognized work standards in GATT. "GATT should be revised to guarantee
rights for children and their parents just as lawmakers seek to protect
copyrights, patents and other rights in the expanded global economy," he
said.
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Another Plant Closing Thanks to NAFTA
One does not have to look far to find evidence that ACTWU predictions of
job losses in the U.S. are valid. Matsushita Television Company announced
Friday it will close its television production plant in Franklin Park,
Illinois and relocate to Tijuana, Mexico. The company announced layoffs
of 330 employees by January 1. Matsushita said it will offer 100
positions to design and engineering staff willing to move to a facility in
Southern California. "This is exactly what we said would happen" under
NAFTA, said the ACTWU's Joe Costigan, an anti-NAFTA activist. The AFL-CIO
says the government agency created to help workers laid off because of
NAFTA-related plant relocations is now trying to assist 4,600 employees at
55 plants around the country. For more information, call Joe Costigan at
the ACTWU in Chicago at (312) 738-6135.
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Vermont Citizens Protest GATT
Family farm, environmental, labor and consumer groups staged a rally
outside the federal building in Montpelier, Vermont Monday to encourage
Senators James Jeffords (R-Vermont) and Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont) to
reject the Uruguay Round. "The GATT would create a new worldwide
bureaucracy which would have enormous power over democratically elected
governments," said Tim Atwater, director of Rural Vermont. "Our goal is
to get Jeffords and Leahy to slow down the process of approving GATT."
Neither Senator has announced a position on GATT. Representatives of
Vermont Public Interest Research Group and United We Stand America also
spoke out against the pact. For more information, contact Rural Vermont at
(802) 223-7222.
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Representatives Oppose Patent Law Change
Thirty members of the House of Representatives sent President Clinton a
letter urging him to withdraw from GATT implementing legislation a
proposal that would modify U.S. patent laws. The Representatives say
Clinton's proposal to limit U.S. patents to 20 years from the filing date
instead of the current 17 years from issuance would hurt inventors, small
businesses and the government. The letter contends that the changes go
beyond the Uruguay Round and will only benefit foreign governments and
multinational corporations. Last month, Clinton received a similar letter
signed by 50 U.S. inventors. For more information, contact the office of
Congressperson Helen Delich Bentley (R-Maryland). (202) 225-3061.
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Baseball Strike? So What, We've Got GATT Trading Cards
In one of the stranger lobbying maneuvers, the Alliance for GATT Now has
spent $40,000 to issue sets of 58 baseball-style trading cards featuring
"GATT Now! All Stars" such as President Bill Clinton, U.S. Trade
Representative Mickey Kantor and former President Ronald Reagan. Children
have been walking the halls of Congress passing out the cards and bags of
popcorn covered with pro-GATT stickers. Each state also gets its own GATT
card, with catchy slogans such as GATT Home Runs ("What GATT will do for
Kentucky") and GATT Base Hits ("Top Kentucky Exports").
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European Power Struggle Continues Over GATT
An article in Friday's Irish Times reports that many European officials
believe the Uruguay Round proposals will not be ratified by the end of
1994. The article describes the "classic power struggle" going on between
European Union member states and the European Commission over how European
nations should be represented in the new World Trade Organization. The
Commission wants to be the single voice in representing EU member states,
while certain member states would like to represent themselves. If an
agreement is not reached by December, when the European Court of Justice
issues a ruling, Europe will be unable to ratify the pact by January.
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GATT Video Available
A new 15-minute video looks at the impacts of GATT on the
environment, developing countries and farmers. The video also
documents the protests surrounding the April signing of GATT in
Marrakesh, Morocco. For a copy, send $15 to the Fair Trade
Campaign, Box 80066, Minneapolis, MN 55408.
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GATT ALERT! is published weekly by the Fair Trade Campaign.
If you have news about local activities or anything else, please send
a note to the Fair Trade Campaign, Box 80066, Minneapolis, MN
55408. For information on receiving GATT ALERT!, call (612) 379-
5965.
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