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Global Justice
Since the mid-1990's, Jobs with Justice has taken a leadership role in connecting local struggles with global trade policy. That work continues with our organizing against attempts to expand NAFTA. As part of this year's action and education campaign about the impacts of undemocratic trade policy on our communities, JwJ actively mobilized our members to participate in protests at legislators' offices, Town Hall meetings, electoral candidate forums, and screenings of the Bill Moyers documentary throughout Western Washington.
Government trade ministers are negotiating to expand the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) to the entire Western hemisphere in a trade agreement called the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA). This treaty would expand the power of corporations even beyond the provisions of NAFTA.
The FTAA would increase downward pressure on wages, living standards, the environment, public health laws, democracy, and public services here and internationally. This means privatizing essential services like education and healthcare, attacking prevailing wages, and blocking affordable prescription drugs.
Bush is also trying to pass smaller regional agreements over the next year to bring us closer to the FTAA. The Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) is a free trade agreement currently being negotiated by the United States and five Central American countries - Costa Rica, Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Nicaragua. Under CAFTA, our wages and the wages of already exploited workers in one Central American country would be leveraged against even more desperate workers in other countries. U.S. job flight to CAFTA countries would be unprecedented, even by NAFTA standards. We are working with CISPES, a member organization, to oppose CAFTA.
In Whatcom County, our Organizing Committee has also launched a right-to-organize project that has deep global justice impact. Over the past decade, more than 100 Canadian companies have relocated to Whatcom County in order to exploit Whatcom workers with low wages, no benefits and no union voice. These corporations specifically recruit immigrant workers and, so far, when workers have begun to organize, leaders have been harassed and fired in the worst examples of a typical anti-union campaign. Through supporting these "maquiladora" organizing drives, JwJ leaders have developed relationships with organizing workers and union leaders and are building toward a bigger coalition approach to campaigns.
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