Call today to stop South Korean US FTA

Alliance for Democracy, with our allies in the Alliance for Responsible Trade and the Citizens Trade Campaign, urge you to act now to stop the biggest trade agreement since NAFTA.

Last July, more than 100 members of the House of Representatives wrote to Pres. Obama saying: “it is unthinkable to consider moving forward on another job-killing FTA.” And last September over 550 diverse organizations, including the Alliance and the Portland AfD Chapter, joined together to oppose the Korea FTA in a letter to Pres. Obama.

Learn More:
• Need background info? See this post on our blog.
• The Oregon Fair Trade Campaign has an excellent Toolkit that explains the impact of KORUS on that state and links to videos of their Teach-In.
• Watch AfD’s Portland Chapter show, "Populist Dialogues" with David Delk interviewing Arthur Stamoulis, Executive Diretor of the Oregon Fair Trade Campaign

Now is the time to act!

Friday, February 25: National Call-in Day to Local Congressional District Offices

Rumors are that Pres. Obama will soon bring the South Korea Free Trade Agreement to the floor for Congressional approval.

See below for a call-in script. Emphasize that the KORUS, the South Korea Free Trade Agreement, is opposed by both organized labor and tea party people. Left or right, “we the people” know that so-called free trade agreements are disastrous for workers rights and job security at home or abroad.

KORUS will:
• increase job loss
• increase the US trade deficit
• leave both countries vulnerable to attack under NAFTA-like anti-democratic “investor rights” provisions that challenge environmental, health, land-use and zoning laws, public health, financial regulations and more.

If KORUS passes, the Colombia and Panama FTAs, already negotiated by Pres. Bush, will soon follow.

Find information for your Congressperson here and be sure to click to find his or her local (rather than DC) number.

Need a script?
“I urge you to reject any attempts to pass the KORUS Free Trade Agreement with South Korea. Free Trade Agreements are unpopular across the political spectrum and elected officials who support KORUS will certainly alienate voters, including me. Polls by the Wall Street Journal and Pew Research Center show that over 60% of both tea party sympathizers and union members oppose FTAs. KORUS would be the biggest FTA since NAFTA, and is just as bad for working families. I strongly oppose it and the Colombia and Panama FTAs that are also pending. I urge Rep. _________ to do so as well and to support instead the TRADE (Trade Reform, Accountability, Development and Employment Act.”

Thank you for taking action! Let’s stop KORUS as the first step to ending undemocratic “free trade” agreements and building an economy that sustains communities, ecosystems and human rights.

Nancy Price and David e. Delk, Co-chairs