Where are our Senate and Congressional leaders when it is time to oppose unfair trade? Press conference to be held outside Obama for America HQ. Labor activists, fair trade advocates, Latin American solidarity activists, environmentalists, immigrant rights organizers, people of faith, and others are concerned with the recent lack of interest of our U.S. Congressional and Senate leaders when it comes to stopping un-fair trade deals - as evidenced by the recent House and Senate votes on the US-Peru “Free Trade” Agreement. We find it very troubling that one of our Illinois Senators, Barack Obama, a current candidate for President of the United States, skipped the vote on the Peru trade pact, missing an important opportunity to stand up for working people and the environment both here and in Peru. We are even more concerned that Obama, along with Sen Hillary Clinton, made public statements supporting the Peru Trade deal and that our other Senator from Illinois, Dick Durbin voted in favor o...

After massive public pressure both here in the U.S. and around the hemisphere derailed the Free Trade Agreement of the Americas (FTAA), the Bush administration and its corporate masters shifted gears, focusing on bilateral (or one country) trade agreements. Proposed agreements are pending with Colombia & South Korea that have received some attention by the press and opposition by organized labor and human rights groups. However, the proposed U.S./Peru Free Trade Agreement passed the U.S. house on Nov. 8th. Despite all the mea culpas from the Democrats this election year about their support of trade agreements in the past, and new promises that they will fight for fair trade over free trade, 109 Democrats voted in favor of the Peru trade pact. The rather anemic opposition to this trade agreement now shifts to the Senate. You can read more here… http://www.workdayminnesota.org/index.php?news_6_3370 Professors Helena Worthen and Joe Berry with the Chicago Labor Education Program, will...