Thank You Nancy Pelosi

For blocking the trade agreement with Colombia. I'm not an opponent of free trade agreements in general, but when 2100 labor activists have been murdered in the country since 1991 with only 37 convictions, it's irresponsible to pass the agreement without strong labor protections. I hope that next year we'll be able to negotiate a better agreement under a Democratic president, or at least use the possibility of an agreement to discourage Colombia from letting companies arrange the murders of union organizers.

Comments

[low-tech cyclist]

Trade unionists in Colombia should chill, says Fred Hiatt:

Both Democratic candidates rest their opposition on supposed concern about assassination of trade unionists in Colombia, although such violence has fallen so much that the crime rate for them now is lower -- as we've pointed out in past editorials -- than for the population at large.

Wonder how he twisted the numbers to arrive at that conclusion.

[Sir Charles]

l t-c,

Believe it or not, Fred's brother Jon is the general counsel of the AFL-CIO. And a great guy and lawyer.

I hope he slaps the crap out of bro at the next family get together.

[low-tech cyclist]

Fred's brother Jon is the general counsel of the AFL-CIO.

If you heard a distant explosion, that was my head. Excuse me while I scrounge up the pieces from around the room.

[Sir Charles]

l-t c,

Sorry about that. Probably should have been some way to warn you of this gradually.

Yes, Jonathan Hiatt is a superb, activist oriented union lawyer -- before the AFL-CIO gig he was general counsel to the Service Employees International Union during the period under John Sweeney when their organizational activities really took off.

I believe Fred is the black sheep of the family.