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AFL-CIO Workers Forum
Gusman Hall, Miami FL
November 19, 2003

Take-away Messages

Most Excitement: Standing ovations when the removal of Bush was mentioned on two separate occasions.

Most Gravity: People who speak up for basic democratic rights continue to be murdered by powers that support the FTAA; They want “Dignity, respect, decent pay and protection”. “I want a country where my niece and students don't have to be afraid. A country where students don't have to fear the bullets of the assassin.” Ibeth Bergara, Colombia.

Most common themes: “We must be part of the negotiations.” “Fairness.”

Most hopeful sign: “We need to form a Steel Workers Union of the Americas.” Allen Long, USA.

Slighly-edited notes of an Indymedia Reporter

Panel of eight workers form across the Americas: Nicaragua, Columbia, Mexico, Haiti/USA, Brazil, and the USA. [Moderated by Linda Chave-Thompson, Exec. VP, AFL-CIO.] Signed and translated. Gusman Theater is tastefully ornate, a cobalt blue ceiling with inset twinkling stars like State Street theater in Santa Barbara, CA. Stage and surrounding walls boast facade of two story village bulidings with balconys.

Question: Family-supporting jobs.

Dave Bevard, Galesburg, Ill USA, Maytag employee: $9.5 million incentives from the state/local governments, then Maytag moves its operations. 34,000 community, many families, will be seriously impacted.

Francisca Acuena Hernandez, Reynosa, Mexico:
Working in the Maquiladoras. No job security. Maytag jobs moving there. Educating themselves on [Mexican] federal law. She was fired for defending worker's rights. She's impressed to hear that worker's in the USA have same problems and that there are older workers in the USA. Most workers in maquiladoreas are young women, 15-30 years old, no hiring past 30 yrs old. [young women make money for the families.]

Salvador Estrada, Kennapolis, NC, USA. Worked for textile company Pillowtex. Member of UNITE:
North Carolina pillotex is an old company. Declared bankuptcy. Couldn't compete with China and Inda. 4,000 layoffs. Some people had worked there 50 years. People lost their medical insurance. The union UNITED helped these worker's families.

Francisca Hernandez, Mexico: Children that are raised in the boarder cities often become delinquent. Parents are exploited.

Maria jacaranda Fernandez, Mejia, Nicaragua, member of Nicaragua's National Assembly, leader in the health sector since 1977.
She thanked the AFL-CIO for creating the forum, saying they were the real heros. The Nicaraguan government says the FTAA is a bridge to opportunity. FTAA will mean privatization of services. How will this affect nurses?

Allen Long, Hobart, Ind, USA. Steelworker for 30 years.
Speaking of the bankruptcies and relocation of the “US” the steel industry off-shore, he lost his pension, but considered himsulf lucky; others lost jobs and health care. The suicide rate is up. People are having to cash in savings, 401k. 100 communities affected in this same way. The union invested in finding a buyer for Bethlehem Steel, otherwise they might have lost everything [and the US would have lost steel making capacity needed for national security.]

Edson de Sant'ana, Sao Paulo, Brazil, steelworker and union leader.
After privatization of the Brazilian steel industry, anyone participating in unions was threatened with firing. Some who quit unions for fear of losing their jobs were fired anyway. Medical care became more expensive. “We lost our free will.” Cannot organize at the company. Union is extremely important. Protects employees from exploitation. Must denounce the employers, at which point he voiced a denunciation of the employers. He called for fair salaries and dignified work.

Allen Long, Hobart, USA steelworker.
He traveled with a delegation to Brazil. Free trade is not the worker's fault in other countries. They have the same fight. Brazilian workers are now learning the lessons of US workes as Brazilian jobs are now going to China.

Maria Fernandez, Nicaragua:
If exploitation under agreements like the FTAA didn't happen, we wouldn't have to emigrate to the US looking for better opportunities.

Ibeth Vergara, Cartagena, Columbia, teacher and activist with Colombian Federation of Educators:
I want a country where my niece and students don't have to be afraid. A country where students don't have to fear the bullets of the assassin. Tell your country not to invest in war and violence.

Dave Bevard, Ill USA, Maytag:
Corporations are allowed to exist [by State charter] to generate goods and services, not the other way around. No labor leaders or workers were invited to the table of the FTAA negotiations [According to Public Citizen, over 500 corporate representatives serve onn official US trade advisory committees, where they have access to secret FTAA documents].

Question: What would you say if you could speak to the FTAA negotiators?

Dave Bevard, Ill USA, Maytag:
Workers don't want to be treated like merchandise, like an object. We have families. We have a right to be heard. We must raise the standard of living so we are able to afford what we make. It's great, George Bush says countries have a right to fredome, to protest, but it is deplorable we must come down to his brother's state and be subjected to gestapo tactics.

Aside, Common Theme: We must be part of negotiations. Dignity.

Edson de Sant'ana, Brazil, steelworker: All workers of the World want more fairness.

Francisca Hernandez, Mexico: I would have the negotiator work in the maquiladoras just for one day. I would ask George Bush to work for one day in China. Afterwards, then to sleep where the workers sleep. She noted her union was corrupt. You have a union that supports you. We make $40/week on which to educate and feed our children. She gave an open invitation to us to visit her home, where they have a lack of water and electricity. We don't want to take jobs away from anyone. We just want to work.

Dave Bevard,Ill USA, Maytag: We have workers in Iraq. They will come back to no job. George Bush says they are fighting for freedom. What's more democratic than having a voice in the destiny of your work?

Rose Assinthe, Miami, FL, USA Member of SEIU 1199 (emigrated from Haiti in 1980):
We ask to through Bush out. Followed by huge standing ovation.

Maria Fernandez, Nicaragua:
Thanks to thousands of workers, I am now a member of the National Assembly. Our foreign debt is being paid by the people. Money given to Nicaraguan government to finance an FTAA promotional campaign. They should instead give flexibility to pay debt. She called for dignity, respect, decent pay and protection. We must have a global economy for the people, not just for the corporations.

Closing Note

AFL-CIO President John Sweeney gave an opening address. In closing his address he said, "Fair trade will not be born until we say 'no' to corporate control of our governments, until we say 'no' to corporate control of our lives, until we say 'no' to the cruel conservatives in Congress and until we say 'no' to George W. Bush."

This was one of the two references to removing Bush from office that brought the people to their feet.
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