The United Auto Workers, which broke with fellow unions to endorse the Korea Free Trade agreement, said today it opposes a trade deal with Colombia.
"The UAW will be opposed to the Colombia FTA as long as our brothers and sisters in Colombia continue to be brutally murdered and violently intimidated," the Detroit-based union said in a statement.
"We support and will work closely with other American and Colombian unions in the struggle to improve conditions on the ground in Colombia before rewarding the Colombian government and corporations with trade benefits."
The UAW praised the Obama administration for working to strengthen labor and human rights protections in Colombia through the Action Plan and through continuing discussions with Colombia, but said it did not go far enough.
The UAW said there must be significant progress on continued violence against union activists and there must be concrete evidence "that the perpetrators of these crimes are being brought to justice."
A group of unions said this month that Colombia remains the most dangerous place on earth for unionists : Last year, 49 people were murdered for their trade union activities more than the rest of the world combined; 75 additional individuals received credible death threats; at least 2,500 unionists were arrested and thousands more fired from their jobs solely due to union membership, the UAW said.
Other unions including the United Steelworkers also said this week they oppose the Colombia deal along with deals for Korea and Panama.
The three trade deals are hung up in part over extending Trade Adjustment Assistance to workers whose jobs are displaced by foreign trade.
The Obama administration wants to tie extension of the program to approval of the trade deals and hopes to submit the agreements to Congress before August.
However, King endorsed the Korea deal after the administration made changes to boost auto exports and extend protections for U.S. autos.
Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., called in the Republicans weekly radio address on Saturday to approve the free-trade agreements with South Korea, Colombia and Panama.
"All of these agreements have been languishing for years, but with a 9.1 percent unemployment rate, and a spiraling deficit, the president can no longer hold these agreements back," Hoeven said.
"Currently, he is holding them up in order to negotiate the Trade Adjustment Assistance Program. TAA can be addressed separately in the context of Trade Promotion Authority, as it generally has been in the past since 1974."
"The UAW will be opposed to the Colombia FTA as long as our brothers and sisters in Colombia continue to be brutally murdered and violently intimidated," the Detroit-based union said in a statement.
"We support and will work closely with other American and Colombian unions in the struggle to improve conditions on the ground in Colombia before rewarding the Colombian government and corporations with trade benefits."
The UAW praised the Obama administration for working to strengthen labor and human rights protections in Colombia through the Action Plan and through continuing discussions with Colombia, but said it did not go far enough.
The UAW said there must be significant progress on continued violence against union activists and there must be concrete evidence "that the perpetrators of these crimes are being brought to justice."
A group of unions said this month that Colombia remains the most dangerous place on earth for unionists : Last year, 49 people were murdered for their trade union activities more than the rest of the world combined; 75 additional individuals received credible death threats; at least 2,500 unionists were arrested and thousands more fired from their jobs solely due to union membership, the UAW said.
Other unions including the United Steelworkers also said this week they oppose the Colombia deal along with deals for Korea and Panama.
The three trade deals are hung up in part over extending Trade Adjustment Assistance to workers whose jobs are displaced by foreign trade.
The Obama administration wants to tie extension of the program to approval of the trade deals and hopes to submit the agreements to Congress before August.
However, King endorsed the Korea deal after the administration made changes to boost auto exports and extend protections for U.S. autos.
Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., called in the Republicans weekly radio address on Saturday to approve the free-trade agreements with South Korea, Colombia and Panama.
"All of these agreements have been languishing for years, but with a 9.1 percent unemployment rate, and a spiraling deficit, the president can no longer hold these agreements back," Hoeven said.
"Currently, he is holding them up in order to negotiate the Trade Adjustment Assistance Program. TAA can be addressed separately in the context of Trade Promotion Authority, as it generally has been in the past since 1974."
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