STATEMENT ON PNTR FOR CHINA JAMES P. HOFFA, GENERAL PRESIDENT
May 24, 2000

By granting Permanent Normal Trade Relations (PNTR) status for Communist China, Congress has ignored the collective will of the American people. 65% of the American public opposes this flawed trade deal. With the corporate bosses pulling out all the stops including orchestrated junkets to China, a slick advertising campaign, and deceitful lobbying tactics, the American people still are not fooled.

Working families are smarter than Congress gives them credit. They know that dirty trade agreements like PNTR and NAFTA cost jobs in this country. They know that human rights are more important than copyrights. And they now know which members of Congress are on their side, and which ones are not.

The American labor movement is also faced with a choice. We can continue to do business as usual, supporting candidates who vote with us "most of the time," or we can demand accountability by giving grassroots and monetary electoral support to candidates who stand up for working families when it matters most.

The Teamsters Union will choose the road less traveled. Gone are the days of "free passes" on issues that are important to our members. We demand accountability and will not tolerate an action that will cost hundreds of thousands of American jobs. We do not support rewarding the Communist regime in China despite their horrid record on human rights, exportation of weapons of mass destruction to our enemies, and military threats against their democratic neighbors.

The Teamsters Union will reassess our support of any candidate who voted against working families today.

There are Teamster families in every Congressional district in America, and those families vote. Those who would oppose these families have done so at their own political peril. Our members demand no less.