Defeat the Oman FTA—Write and Call Your House Rep Now!

Last month we alerted you on the Oman Free Trade Agreement. After passing in the Senate last week, OFTA heads to the House for a vote, possibly next week. There is positive news: because of grassroots opposition to OFTA, the Senate vote had the fewest “Ayes” of any trade agreement besides CAFTA, and every Democrat on the House Ways and Means Committee voted “No,” a better result than any trade vote including on CAFTA. Let's keep up the pressure—Take Action NOW to stop OFTA on the House Floor.
The Bush Administration is aiming for a regional NAFTA-like Middle East Free Trade zone; the OFTA is a lynchpin. It’s worse than NAFTA and CAFTA, and would provide special access to U.S. markets for clothes made in Oman sweatshops, meaning more indentured workers will be trafficked in from Bangladesh, China, and other countries to slave away in Oman, and more jobs will be lost here in the U.S. Plus OFTA provides even more power than NAFTA or CAFTA for multinationals to attack our jobs and labor rights, health and environmental laws, democracy and security.

It is urgent that your representative in the House hear from you, TODAY. Ask to speak to the person who handles trade issues; ask for a response letter or email stating your representatives’ position and use it especially if he/she is running for re-election.

For talking points and other info, go to Public Citizen's page on the Oman FTA at www.citizen.org/trade/oman/