The Cost of “Free” Trade: Don’t Let Delphi Happen Again

Yesterday working and unemployed families rallied at the former Delphi Automotive factory in Oak Creek to protest so-called “free trade” agreements which continue to shutdown Wisconsin manufacturers and send jobs overseas.  The rally, sponsored by UAW Region 4, raised awareness and support for H.R. 3012: Trade Reform, Accountability, Development and Employment (TRADE) Act of 2010.

About 100 union members participated in the rally in spite of unseasonably cold, damp weather.   Speakers at the event included Wisconsin State AFL-CIO Secretary Treasurer Phil Neuenfeldt, Milwaukee Area Labor Council (MALC) Secretary Treasurer and former Delphi worker Sheila Cochran, UAW Local 469 President Tony Rainey, and Democratic Party of Milwaukee Chairman Sachin Chheda.

Between 1993 and 2007, the state of Wisconsin lost 141,100 manufacturing jobs, largely due to policies associated with the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and the World Trade Organization (WTO).  The TRADE Act would require that existing trade pacts be reviewed and revised with product safety, environmental and labor standards in mind.

 Click here for more information about the TRADE Act, provided by Public Citizen.

Sen. Russ Feingold, Rep. Gwen Moore, Rep. Tammy Baldwin, and Rep. Steve Kagen are all strong supporters of H.R. 3012, and Thursday’s rally called on the rest of Wisconsin’s congressional delegation to become cosponsors.

“Unfair trade policies line the pockets of the wealthy and leave working people across the globe devastated,” according to Wisconsin State AFL-CIO Secretary Treasurer Phil Neuenfeldt.  “This rally is proof that the hard working families of Wisconsin won’t sit back silently and watch their standard of living deteriorate.”

“At Delphi alone we’ve lost 2,000 family-wage jobs,” said Christine Cavallaro, former Delphi employee and member of UAW Local 438.  “Our plant was always profitable, right up through the final days.  But bad trade policy and bankruptcy laws made it possible for the company to ship jobs overseas where workers are more easily exploited.  Congress must take action.” 

WISN –ABC, WDJT –CBS, WITI –FOX, and WTMJ 4 –NBC all covered the rally as part of their evening news broadcasts, and Wisconsin Public Radio ran an interview with Secretary Treasurer Neuenfeldt about the TRADE Act throughout the day.
 
Click here to watch a news clip from WDJT –CBS.

An interview with MALC Secretary Treasurer Cochran about the rally and fair trade policy is expected to run in the business section of this Sunday’s Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

(All photos taken at The Cost of “Free” Trade Rally.  Photo Credit: Jenissee Volpintesta.  For additional pictures, visit http://www.flickr.com/photos/wisaflcio/sets/72157623935208721/.)

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