Andean Free Trade, Fair Trade & Service Sector Work

Well, it looks like we have signed a free trade agreement with the several Andean countries (Colombia, Peru, Bolivia)...just needs to be sent to Congress. See: http://www.ustr.gov and click the trade agreements/bilateral link.

Did you read the press release in the paper? Hear the talking points from Kerry or Bush? Me neither. Funny how an appointed official has the power to bargain my and your economic future away.

I do not posit that all trade is bad, in fact it is absolutely necessary. But FAIR TRADE must be the way. See the links below for some information on fair trade efforts, mainly for coffee farmers in the South, but its a start: http://www.fairlabor.org/ or http://www.transfairusa.org/. So when you order your morning coffee at the local shop, ask for fair trade coffee and give them the link if they dont know what you're talking about.

And speaking of coffee, the old Wobblies, the Industrial Workers of the World (you know, the "One Big Union") recently organized a Starbucks shop in NYC: http://www.iww.org/unions/iu660/starbucks/

Reality is that jobs like mine, factory work, are going away, well, going to the Third World (hey, those folks ned jobs too!). So the unions and us workers need to organize the service sector. And make service sector jobs what bluecollar jobs are today. Yea, thats right. Working the counter at Burger King or sacking groceries at Kroger ought not be viewed as a 'bad' job. The only thing that will change it is ORGANIZING! Here are links to a few unions that are doing what they can (given the virtual prohibition of the freedom of association in this country ... another post soon):
http://www.seiu.org/ or http://www.ufcw.org/ or http://www.unitehere.org/ or http://fastaflcio.org/

Solidarity.