Schock touts Columbia free trade agreement

November 24, 2009
By Billy Dennis

Press release:

Schock Works to Create New Jobs for American Workers

3 Years is Too Long to Wait on U.S. – Colombia Free Trade Agreement

Washington, DC – Congressman Aaron Schock joined 35 of his colleagues in writing to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi urging her to allow a vote on the Free Trade Agreement between the United States and Colombia. Signed by the U.S. and Colombian governments three years ago, those in charge of Congress have blocked an up-or-down vote on the Agreement. Schock urged the Speaker to allow a vote on enacting this Agreement that will create American jobs and improve Illinois’ trade dependent economy.

“This trade agreement will help make American companies more competitive globally, increase their profitability and allow them to hire new American workers and help stimulate the economy,” said Schock.

“Since Colombia signed the trade agreement in 2006, US products have been charged more than $2 billion in needless duties; money that could have been spent by the companies making these products to expand infrastructure and hire more domestic workers,” Schock continued. “The Illinois share of U.S. exports to Colombia was 3.2 percent in 2008. Based on these export shares, Illinois products sold in Colombia since November 2006 have been penalized $65 million in import charges that would have been eliminated by the free trade agreement. The opportunity cost of sales lost to Illinois due to high tariffs, and the number of jobs which should have been created, needs to end by passing this Agreement.”

For almost two decades, more than 90 percent of Colombian products have enjoyed open and duty-free access to American markets. At the same time, U.S. exports to Colombia face steep tariffs, some as high as 20 percent. Immediately upon enactment of this agreement, Colombian tariffs will disappear. Reducing these tariffs will end the one-way street and give our manufactures and farmers the same fair, tariff-free access to Colombia that its residents already have here.

Sunday, November 22 was the three-year anniversary of the signing of the U.S.-Colombia Free Trade Agreement. The Institute for International Economics estimates that implementation of the Agreement would cause the value of U.S. exports to Colombia to increase 44 percent. With our unemployment rate at a 26-year high, lowering these trade barriers will help U.S. and Illinois businesses create new jobs at a time when Americans need them the most – without spending more taxpayer money.

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9 Responses to “ Schock touts Columbia free trade agreement ”

  1. AnotherExJSer on November 25, 2009 at 2:10 am

    “Signed by the U.S. and Colombian governments three years ago, those in charge of Congress…”

    Did they use indelible ink? Is that why Pelosi has to wear heavy makeup?

    Let me ask the obvious question: What’s the other side of the argument?

    • Billy Dennis on November 25, 2009 at 2:30 am

      And apparently, this is a huge problem:

      When 14 Colombian trade union members were in the United States for a training program, they were unable to forget just how dangerous it is to support unions in their home country. During the two months they were here, four of their colleagues were assassinated.

      In a memorial service at AFL-CIO in Washington, D.C., yesterday, we joined the Solidarity Center and the Colombian workers to honor those who were killed and to reaffirm our determination to fight for workers’ and human rights in that country.

  2. Billy Dennis on November 25, 2009 at 2:27 am

    US labor orgs oppose the measure because the agreement doesn’t protect labor from persecution in Columbia. Details are here:

    In an announcement in the July 29 Federal Register, the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) asks for comments on the U.S.-Colombia Free Trade Agreement. USTR is conducting a review of labor-related issues in the context of the agreement and is seeking “comment from the public to assist the USTR in working with the Colombian government to secure continued progress in ensuring that Colombia’s workers can fully exercise their fundamental labor rights.”

    Written comments are due by noon, Sept. 15, 2009. Comments should be submitted electronically online at http://www.regulations.gov. For alternatives to online submissions, contact Gloria Blue at 202-395-3475.

    The AFL-CIO and a broad coalition of groups have opposed congressional consideration of the U.S.-Colombia Free Trade Agreement until workers can fully exercise internationally recognized labor rights without fear, the country makes deep and sustained progress on ending impunity and labor law reforms bring the country’s laws into compliance with International Labor Organization (ILO) standards. The AFL-CIO Executive Council recognized the courage of Colombian workers by nominating Colombia workers’ rights activist Yessika Hoyos for the 2008 George Meany-Lane Kirkland Human Rights Award.

  3. AnotherExJSer on November 25, 2009 at 4:50 am

    It’s pretty obvious, then, why Schock and the GOP support the deal: Screw unions, let’s make some money.

  4. RomanII on November 25, 2009 at 8:55 am

    Do these people (Congress) know how much drugs come to our country from Columbia? Screw free trading with them, cut themoff entirely until they wise up.

  5. Mahkno on November 25, 2009 at 9:40 am

    If you want the farmers of Columbia to be growing something else, you kinda need to help them find a profitable market for their goods. Having a free trade agreement with Columbia helps with that by providing a more attractive market for their legal goods. If a farmer can’t feed his family with legal crops, it goes without saying, that they will grow what will.

    Free trade doesn’t mean commerce goes uninspected. Law enforcement will still be needed.

  6. David P. Jordan on November 25, 2009 at 10:45 pm

    Billy,

    You’re drinking union kool-aid. Check this out:

    http://ustraderep.gov/assets/Trade_Agreements/Bilateral/Colombia_FTA/asset_upload_file293_13717.pdf

    • Billy Dennis on November 25, 2009 at 11:22 pm

      Looks good on paper. Much like gun control laws, on paper, automatically takes guns out of the hands of criminals. In fact, Columbia is still a deadly place to be a trade union leader.

      • David P. Jordan on November 26, 2009 at 11:09 am

        So here is a list of things Mr. Uribe should bring up during his meeting with President Obama. First of all, President Uribe must assure Mr. Obama that he is determined to decrease murder rates of labor leaders by half before the end of his presidency next year. The perception among Democrats about the rights of labor leaders in Colombia could hardly be worse, and it is Mr. Uribe’s task to tell President Obama that his government has done enormous progress on this matter. Even though there was a rise in the rate of trade unionist killings last year, it is only a quarter of what it was when Mr. Uribe took office. Yes, shamefully, Colombia remains the most dangerous country for trade unionists, but the levels of killings under Mr. Uribe’s presidency have been low by the country’s terrible standards: the 49 murders last year are well below the annual average of 120, taken since 1986. In short, Mr. Obama should be told that trade union leaders have been safer under President Uribe than under any other Colombian leader in the past 22 years

        http://colombiareports.com/opinion/131-gustavo-silva-cano/4533-memo-to-uribe-obama-trade-drugs-and-unionists.html