What Is the FTAA?

Ten years ago, NAFTA began eroding workers rights, jobs and the environment. The Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) is NAFTA, but 10 times larger. It would include every country in the Americas, except Cuba. FTAA would open trade and create new rights for companies but offer no real protections for workers rights.

How will the FTAA affect BCTGM workers?

Over the last several years, the BCTGM—our union— has seen an alarming increase in the amount of imported food and consumer products appearing on store shelves, much of it from Mexico. Biscuits, cookies, crackers, bread, candy, chocolate and pasta imports to the US have reached record levels.

A few details and company actions:

Kellogg—Rice Krispies Bars, to Mexico.
Hershey—Big Kiss, to Mexico
Parmalat—Mrs. Allison's Cookies, to non-union plant in Ontario
Nabisco—Fig Newtons, to Mexico
Bimbo—Texas Snack Cakes, to Mexico
Brach and Brock Candy—Closed plant represented by Local 36. Chicago plant of IBT, moved to Mexico.

BCTGM research reveals disturbing trends. A number of our union companies have closed plants and shut down lines in the U.S. and expanded operations into Mexico:

Nabisco bought Lance of Mexico (candy, cookies), thus expanding there.
Philip Morris and Brown and British American Tobacco bought 2 largest cigarette makers and split 99% of the market in Mexico.
Cargill, ADM and ConAgra now operate in Mexico.
Most major food companies have Mexican and Canadian branches.
Frito-Lay has a major snack plant in Mexico
Most of the U.S. hard candy industry has relocated to Mexico

These and other investments within NAFTA countries set the stage for companies to shift production to wherever labor costs are lowest, driving down wages and conditions for everyone. Many of these same companies already have operations in countries covered by the FTAA.

Environmental and food safety laws that protect workers, consumers and the community do not apply in many of the FTAA countries.

Rising trade deficits destroy production jobs

When a country buys more from foreign sources than it sells, the trade deficit expands and jobs are lost. The US trade deficit is again at record levels. Like a fungus, the FTAA would spread NAFTA to the rest of the hemisphere, increasing that trade deficit and wiping out even more U.S. jobs, while further jeopardizing living wage jobs in Canada.

This proposed FTAA would strike yet another body blow to BCTGM members and to all workers.

“American and Canadian workers, including our BCTGM brothers and sisters have paid a terrible price for the false promise of 'free trade'. Instead of new jobs for U.S and Canadian workers, we have seen plant closings, layoffs, downsizing and record imports … Every BCTGM member has a stake in fighting these agreements.”

—BCTGM International President Frank Hurt

Bad News for all workers

While FTAA will make it easier to move production around the entire western hemisphere, workers in other countries do not necessarily welcome the job shifts. They have seen how NAFTA has been used by multinational corporations to drive down wages and working conditions in Mexico. They know the central purpose of the FTAA will be to allow companies to pit workers against one another across two continents. That's why free labor unions in Latin America are skeptical or opposed to FTAA.

American workers need to send a clear message to Congress and the Bush Administration:

YES to Fair Trade policies that create living wage jobs and protect worker rights!
YES to Fair Trade Policies that protect the environmental laws and regulations
YES to Fair Trade Policies that support family farms and food safety!

NO to FTAA!!!

Return to STOP FTAA