Text Fwd: Job-killing Bush-Obama Korea-U.S. FTA Approaching Vote in Congress

* Text from Steve Zeltzer on Jan. 12, 2011

Jan. 14, 2011
Press Release
On Rally-Protest-Stop Job-killing Bush-Obama Korea-U.S. FTA Approaching Vote in Congress

– California Fair Trade Coalition –

MEDIA ADVISORY for Contact: Tim Robertson, (415) 987-4870
Friday, January, 2011 tim@citizenstrade.org

Job-killing Bush-Obama Korea-U.S. FTA

Approaching Vote in Congress

Rally to stop NAFTA-style corporate trade deals

SAN FRANCISCO – As the Obama administration moves closer to introducing the NAFTA-style Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement (KORUS FTA) to Congress, citizens and activists will join Kim Kyung-Ran, Director of External Relations for the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, in a rally to oppose the deal.

Representatives from labor, faith, environmental, fair trade, and family farm organizations will call on Minority Leader Pelosi, Congress and President Obama to stop pursuing the KORUS FTA, an agreement expected to cost 159,000 American jobs and grant corporations in each country unprecedented rights to subvert public interest laws. President Obama, who campaigned against free trade agreements, has reached a revised deal with Korea, and is expected to introduce it to Congress for ratification soon.

The KORUS FTA is the Obama administration’s first potential trade agreement, and is a slight modification from the agreement negotiated by President Bush over three years ago. Since then, it has received little support from Congress or the public. In fact, according to an NBC/Wall Street Journal poll, 69% of Americans believe FTAs cost jobs, while just 17% think they help the American economy. This is not surprising, given that NAFTA-style trade deals have already cost Americans millions of jobs.

WHAT: Rally to oppose the KORUS FTA with speakers from across civil society with banners, signs, and Korean-American drummers.


WHO:

· Kim Kyung-Ran, Director of External Relations, Korean Confederation of Trade Unions

· Howard Wallace, Vice President of San Francisco Labor Council

· Frank Martin Del Campo, President, Labor Council for Latin American Advancement

Larry Wing, President, Air Transit Employees, Local Lodge 1781, IAM

· Christine Ahn, Korean Americans for Fair Trade

· Anuradha Mittal, Executive Director, Oakland Institute

· Victor Menotti, Executive Director, International Forum on Globalization

· Tim Robertson, Director, California Fair Trade Coalition



WHEN: Friday, January 14th, 2011. 12:00 PM PST

WHERE: Federal Building Annex. 90 7th St. (7th and Mission), San Francisco

WHY: To call on Minority Leader Pelosi to join with the majority of Americans in opposing the job-killing NAFTA-style KORUS FTA, which puts corporate profit over worker rights, environmental regulations, food safety, human rights and much more.