Kohl Announces Opposition To CAFTA
Senator cites concern over labor, health and safety laws in six Central
American countries included in the trade agreement
WA****NGTON -- U.S. Senator Herb Kohl today said that he will oppose the
Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA), the plan to lower trade
barriers between the United States and the Central American countries of
Costa Rica, Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Honduras and the Dominican
Republic. Kohl cited his concerns over CAFTA's rules on workers' rights in
a
region where labor laws fall far short of minimum international standards.
Kohl has heard from American workers that CAFTA's rules are a step
backward
from the labor conditions that exist in current trade programs with
Central
America. There is concern that some CAFTA countries lack adequate
protections for workers' rights in their labor codes and that, even where
such rights are spelled out, enforcement mechanisms are inadequate.
More at http://kohl.senate.gov/~kohl/press/05/03/2005511939.html
