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| International Brotherhood of
Teamsters General President James P. Hoffa today thanked the Clinton
Administration for acknowledging that the China trade deal lacks
adequate labor and environmental protections.
According to Thursday, February 23 edition of the Washington Post, "Barshefsky declined to rule out the possibility that the Administration might support amendments seeking additional labor and environmental protections." Barshefsky’s comments drew criticism from both political parties who warned that the Administration’s new position places passage of permanent NTR for communist China in jeopardy. The Teamsters union opposes the trade deal and believes that communist China should not be granted permanent Normal Trade Relations (NTR) status until it addresses its legacy of human and workers’ rights abuses. "U.S. Trade Representative Charlene Barshefsky’s comments before the Senate Finance Committee are a sign that Labor’s demands for fair trade are being heard," said Hoffa. "The Administration has taken an important first step in admitting that their proposed trade deal is flawed. Now they must take the next step and begin negotiating labor and environmental protections into all future trade agreements." "The Teamsters Union has fought for years to promote a U.S. trade agenda that provides fair competition for American workers, not a race to the bottom for profit-hungry multi-national corporations," Hoffa continued. "It is great to hear the Administration echoing our concerns. But until we see these words followed-up by action we must continue to oppose permanent NTR for China." The International Brotherhood of Teamsters represent more than 1.4 million working men and women throughout the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. |