NAFTA TAA on the Web!

[MDOLAN <mdolan@citizen.org>]

  Public Citizen's Global Trade Watch is pleased to offer the following tool 
  for your organizing efforts in opposition to NAFTA expansion:
  
  http://www.citizen.org/pctrade/taa97acs/webstate_1.HTML
  
  This address contains infromation about every company in every state -- you 
  can select your search -- that has been certified by the Dept of Labor as 
  having laid off workers because of NAFTA.  As of August 4th, a total of 
  135,248 workers are official NAFTA job-loss victims, at least in the sense 
  that they are eligible for benefits under this one narrow program.
  
  This information is offered on the Trade Watch Home Page with this 
  disclaimer:  
  The TAA data represents the tip of the iceberg.  These numbers do not 
  reflect the total job loss effects of the NAFTA model on employment in this 
  country.  In particular, the federal government ignores the effect of our 
  unprecedented trade deficits with both our NAFTA partners.  In addition, 
  the criteria for the assistance program are extremely narrow -- only 
  workers who are engaged in the actual manufacture of a product -- and many 
  workers who would be eligible don't apply, often because they are unaware 
  of the program (especially if they are unrepresented in the workplace).
  
  We caution you against relying on these or any other job loss figures to 
  the exclusion of the other cogent arguments against NAFTA expansion on a 
  "fast track" -- issues relating to the environment (esp along the border), 
  threats to public health and safety (contaminated foods in unsafe trucks), 
  falling real wage rates, increasing cross-border illegal drug traffic and 
  the basic failure of NAFTA to live up to its advance billing (conceded 
  already by the White House).
  
  We urge you to contact your congressional delegation and be heard: 
  *No NAFTA expansion -- No "fast track" negotiating authority*
  
  Congress should not abdicate its constitutional authority to decide 
  international commerce policy and multilateral trade treaties.  This debate 
  is too important to be force fed "fast track" -- a legislative laxative 
  that's bad for the constitution. 
  
  Please distribute this Alert widely.
  
  
  ****************************************************************************
   /s/ Mike Dolan, Field Director, Global Trade Watch, Public Citizen
  
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                         WE EDUCATE PEOPLE IN ORDER TO ORGANIZE THEM.
                         WE DON'T ORGANIZE PEOPLE IN ORDER TO EDUCATE THEM.
                                                        Fred Ross, Sr.