Teamsters Denounce House Vote on Peru Trade Bill

Hoffa Encouraged That Most Democrats Opposed the Bill


Teamsters General President Jim Hoffa today said the U.S. House of Representatives let down American workers by passing the Peru Free Trade Agreement.

However, a majority of voting Democrats opposed the bill.

“Just as I expected, the powerful opposition within the majority party makes clear that this deal was not a good deal for workers and should never have been put forward,” Hoffa said.

The agreement undermines U.S. sovereignty, encourages offshoring of American jobs and does nothing to protect workers, consumers or the environment in either country.

“I’ve watched families destroyed and communities devastated as American businesses pack up and move away because of these agreements,” Hoffa said. “We’re supposed to believe that they’re good for our economy? I don’t think so.”

“Trade agreements like this have been in place in Latin America for years and they’ve done nothing to improve living conditions,” Hoffa said. “There are millions of workers in Mexico who are far worse off because of NAFTA. This is just more of the same.”

“American workers deserve more from their political leaders than one disastrous trade agreement after another,” Hoffa said. “It makes absolutely no sense for Congress to pass another trade bill when the dollar is in free fall because of the trade deficits we’re piling up.”

“I hope that the Democratic leadership tells the Bush Administration that Congress will now focus on job creating trade policies and no more of these job-killing free trade agreements,” he said.