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Congresswoman Waters Says CAFTA Is a Bad Deal for Working People Throughout the US and Central America

July 30, 2009

Today, at a press conference on Capitol Hill, Rep. Maxine Waters (CA-35), expressed her strong opposition to CAFTA, the U.S. Central American Free Trade Agreement. The Congresswoman made the following statement:

CAFTA is a bad deal for working people throughout the United States and Central America.

CAFTA will encourage profit-hungry corporations to ship American manufacturing jobs to poor countries in Central America, where workers can be forced to work long hours for little pay and no benefits. Forty percent of Central American workers earn less than two dollars per day, and many labor under oppressive working conditions. CAFTA allows companies to exploit cheap labor in Central America, but it does nothing to protect labor rights or improve working conditions.

Opposition to CAFTA is widespread, not only in the United States, but in Central America as well. Our Central American colleagues have informed us that CAFTA will displace Central American farmers, restrict access to life-saving medicine, and increase poverty among their people.

We want a trade deal that will create good jobs and provide real benefits to the poor people of Central America, as well as the working people of the United States. CAFTA isn't it.

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