http://davidsirota.com/index.php/2006/12/08/vote-alert-house-passes-vietnam-free-trade-agreement/
David Sirota
The House tonight caved to K Street and passed the Vietnam Free Trade
Agreement. I received a copy of the New Democrats' press release
trumpeting the passage. Rep. Ellen Tauscher (D-CA) claims that the deal
"will help American workers and our economy by opening up a huge market
for American industrial and agricultural goods and services." Rep. Joe
Crowley (D-NY) said he voted for the deal because "Vietnam will further
open its market to our banking, insurance, telecom and delivery
industries, creating more opportunities for both our nations."
Oh yes, I'm sure the push for the bill had nothing to do with how,
according to Businessweek, Corporate America is desperate to open up
Vietnam's market to exploit its dirt poor workers who have no basic rights:
A big reason for the change is rock-bottom wages. As labor shortages in
some regions of China drive up costs, factory hands in parts of the
mainland can earn more than five times the $55 per month that Vietnamese
workers in foreign-owned factories are paid. That differential is a big
reason why Sparton Corp. (SPA ) of Jackson, Mich., chose Vietnam over
China last year when it made its first investment outside North America.
It sank $8 million into a 50,000-square-foot plant to produce chemical
diagnostic equipment. "I think productivity and quality will far exceed
the U.S.," says Jason Craft, managing director of Sparton subsidiary
Spartronics Vietnam Co.
Yes, I'm sure Congress's support has nothing to do with companies
wanting greater trade preferences so they can move to eliminate American
jobs and open up factories to exploit cheap labor oppressed by a
dictatorial government:
In the technology space, global corporations like chipmaker Intel have
given Vietnam their vote of confidence. In October this year, Intel and
a U.S. investment group announced plans to pump US$36.5 million in FPT
Corporation, Vietnam's largest IT company...The number of companies with
offices in Vietnam jumped from 21 to 26 this year.
Yes, we're all just expected to believe that this deal is about "helping
American workers" and not about helping the Big Money interests who buy
lawmakers like Tauscher and Crowley and get them to provide the key
votes for preferential trade pacts with countries whose workers are most
ripe for exploitation.
David Sirota
The House tonight caved to K Street and passed the Vietnam Free Trade
Agreement. I received a copy of the New Democrats' press release
trumpeting the passage. Rep. Ellen Tauscher (D-CA) claims that the deal
"will help American workers and our economy by opening up a huge market
for American industrial and agricultural goods and services." Rep. Joe
Crowley (D-NY) said he voted for the deal because "Vietnam will further
open its market to our banking, insurance, telecom and delivery
industries, creating more opportunities for both our nations."
Oh yes, I'm sure the push for the bill had nothing to do with how,
according to Businessweek, Corporate America is desperate to open up
Vietnam's market to exploit its dirt poor workers who have no basic rights:
A big reason for the change is rock-bottom wages. As labor shortages in
some regions of China drive up costs, factory hands in parts of the
mainland can earn more than five times the $55 per month that Vietnamese
workers in foreign-owned factories are paid. That differential is a big
reason why Sparton Corp. (SPA ) of Jackson, Mich., chose Vietnam over
China last year when it made its first investment outside North America.
It sank $8 million into a 50,000-square-foot plant to produce chemical
diagnostic equipment. "I think productivity and quality will far exceed
the U.S.," says Jason Craft, managing director of Sparton subsidiary
Spartronics Vietnam Co.
Yes, I'm sure Congress's support has nothing to do with companies
wanting greater trade preferences so they can move to eliminate American
jobs and open up factories to exploit cheap labor oppressed by a
dictatorial government:
In the technology space, global corporations like chipmaker Intel have
given Vietnam their vote of confidence. In October this year, Intel and
a U.S. investment group announced plans to pump US$36.5 million in FPT
Corporation, Vietnam's largest IT company...The number of companies with
offices in Vietnam jumped from 21 to 26 this year.
Yes, we're all just expected to believe that this deal is about "helping
American workers" and not about helping the Big Money interests who buy
lawmakers like Tauscher and Crowley and get them to provide the key
votes for preferential trade pacts with countries whose workers are most
ripe for exploitation.
