Congress Should Not Sign Trade Agreement with Colombia (Rep. Phil Hare)

I recently spoke at a press conference with union and human rights leaders to express my strong opposition to the proposed U.S-Colombia Free Trade Agreement.

Colombia is the most dangerous place in the world to be a labor organizer.

2100 labor leaders have been murdered in Colombia since 1991. There have been only 37 convictions.

Colombia’s chief federal prosecutor’s office has a backlog of 1,300 cases of murders, threats, and intimidation involving trade unionists.

And there continues to be troubling links between some members of Colombia’s government and the right-wing paramilitaries who have carried out these vicious assassinations.

Human rights-both for workers at home and abroad-must be taken into account when considering the direction of our trade policies.

Given Colombia’s dismal record in this area-and their inability to bring the perpetrators to justice-Congress must reject this proposed trade agreement.