September 6, 2003, the Coalition against Global Exploitation with the Student Labor Action Committee held a teach-in on the Free Trade Area of the Americas and the World Trade Organization in conjunction with upcoming protests in Cancun, Mexico and Miami, Florida. Contributors to the teach-in included Carlos Banuelos (Casa de Maryland), Frida Berrigan (World Policy Institute), Robert Scott (Economic Policy Institute), Len Shindel (United Steel Workers), and Jack Sinnigen (University of Maryland). More than 70 attended the teach-in which was held at Johns Hopkins University.


Robert Scott

Robert Scott opened with a discussion of globalization, employment, and wages. Scott's focus was on the effects of NAFTA and the WTO on workers in the US. Since NAFTA was introduced in January 1994, 766,030 jobs and job opportunities have been lost in the US. While workers have lost from NAFTA, Scott points out that the college educated, US corporations, and financial institutions have benefited. Read more from Robert Scott's presentation and his Economic Policy Institute briefing papers.


Frida Berrigan

Frida Berrigan discussed militarism, neoliberalism, and capitalism. Berrigan's focus was on the effects of privatization on the military sector. She discussed private military contractors such as Bechtel, DynCorp, and Kellogg Brown and Root (a subsidiary of Halliburton). Bechtel, according to Berrigan, is an example of why private companies do not necessarily do a better job than government contractors. In April, the US Agency for International Development granted Bechtel an 18-month contract worth up to $680 million to repair power generation facilities, electrical grids, water and sewage systems and airport facilities as part of the rebuilding effort in Iraq. As criticism about the secretive nature of the bidding process mounted, USAID officials responded that Bechtel is the best company for the job. However, after Becthel arrived in Iraq, it said its initial estimate of $680 million was too low, that it would cost them at least 24 times that to do the job, or more than $16 billion. Read more from Frida Berrigan's presentation.


Jack Sinnigen

Jack Sinnigen discussed the Free Trade Area of the Americas focusing on historical and cultural issues. Specifically, Sinnigen recounted the history of the US's imperialist drive to annex Mexico and other Latin American areas. Applying a concept of Andre Gunder Frank, Sinnigen argued that the history of Mexico is one of the "development of underdevelopment," not economic development. The FTAA, according to Sinnigen, "with its focus on 'export oriented growth,' and the imposition of the 'American way of life' is but the latest episode of a five-century old story in Mexico." However, there is a strong culture and politics of resistance in Mexico evidenced not only by the zapistas, but also by other direct actions by peasants, such as that which prevented the construction of an airport outside of Mexico City. Read more from Jack Sinnigen's presentation.

Carlos Baneulos


Speaking in Spanish, Carlos Banuelos discussed the effects of NAFTA on small farmers in Mexico and the situation of Latino and immigrant workers in Maryland. And Len Shindel, after discussing the effects of 'free trade' policies on steel workers, encouraged all present to come to Miami to protest at the meetings of the Free Trade Area in the Americas in Miami, Florida in November. The Teach-in ended with a brainstorming discussion of activists on how best to educate and organize about the FTAA.


Len Shindell and moderator, Penny Howard