Barbara Boxer: “I am opposed to and will vote against the Central America Free Trade Agreement, CAFTA. I am not against trade…”

“I am opposed to and will vote against the Central America Free Trade Agreement, CAFTA. I am not against trade agreements, provided they are fair. But when those agreements unfairly disadvantage American workers and businesses, I oppose them. I could vote for CAFTA if it meant more jobs in America and a stronger American economy. But, I do not believe that is the case. Because of CAFTA, Americans will lose jobs and manufacturing will move overseas. CAFTA will not foster free trade; it will result in unfair competition. Most of the Central American governments are notoriously lax in enforcing their labor laws. Under CAFTA, the Central American countries pledge to enforce their labor laws and strive to ensure workers' rights are protected, but these are merely ``paper pledges.'' Moreover, unlike other trade agreements, the mechanisms for forcing the Central American governments to enforce their own labor laws are limited and the penalties for noncompliance are negligible. Worse still, nothing in CAFTA prohibits a country from further relaxing its existing laws. In addition, most Central American countries do not have strong environmental protection laws, and enforcement of the laws that do exist is limited. Companies are permitted to destroy the environment and harm their workers in order to produce cheaper products for export. U.S. manufacturers and workers are the best in the world. Their productivity and innovation cannot be matched.…”