• June 29, 2005 -- Issue 14

• June 23, 2005 -- Issue 13

• June 16, 2005 -- Issue 12

• June 7, 2005 -- Issue 11

• May 17, 2005 -- Issue 10

• May 3, 2005 -- Issue 9

• April 19, 2005 -- Issue 8

• April 6, 2005 -- Issue 7
  March 22, 2005 -- Issue 6

• March 8, 2005 -- Issue 5

• February 22, 2005 -- Issue 4

• February 8, 2005 -- Issue 3

• January 25, 2005 -- Issue 2

• January 12, 2005 -- Issue 1

The WiscoTrader Providing Fair Trade News and Views You Won’t Find In Mainstream Media June 29th, 2005 ~ Issue 14 ~ Senate Sends CAFTA to Floor   In this Issue: Contact Mark Green to Oppose CAFTA Breaking news:  CAFTA Goes to Senate Floor The Good, the Bad and the Ugly on Trade Trade News You Can Use Upcoming Trade Events Take Action:  Contact Mark Green and tell him “ Wisconsin Wants Fair Trade!” Congressman Mark Green is undecided on whether he’ll vote for the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA).  Mark Green also wants to be Governor, and represent all of Wisconsin .  Call his congressional office – tell him you are a Wisconsin resident -- and ask the Congressman to oppose CAFTA.   Unless we stop the flawed approach of NAFTA and CAFTA, we will continue to outsource Wisconsin jobs, offshore Wisconsin businesses, destroy our environment, and hurt women workers.   There are three easy ways to contact him: You can reach his District office toll free at (800)773-8579.  They keep track of all calls coming in against CAFTA. While you are near the phone, call his Washington office toll free at 877-762-8762 and leave another message. They also record all Wisconsin contacts. Click on casey.buboltz@mail.house.gov , cut and paste the script below into the email, edit is slightly, and press send.  It will go directly to Green’s trade staff person. Script: Hello, my name is _______ and I live in Wisconsin . I'm contacting Congressman Green to ask him to vote against the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA). These unfair trade agreements hurt our environment, outsource more Wisconsin jobs, offshore more Wisconsin business, and jeopardize children and women.  Can I ask you:  Will the Representative publicly come out and oppose CAFTA before the vote?      My address is listed below, and I’m hoping you can send me a response.  Thank you. When You Call: Ask to speak to the Trade LA, chief of staff or legislative director. Tell them you are a Wisconsin Resident, that you oppose CAFTA, and urge a NO vote. Ask for a response to your question. Breaking News:  Senate Panel Sends CAFTA To Floor (Wed Jun 29) The Senate Finance Committee voted to send CAFTA to the full Senate yesterday. The Ways and Means Committee in the U.S. House of Representatives is scheduled to vote on the agreement on Thursday.   Despite a sizeable vote shortfall, the Administration opted to start the 90-day legislative clock for final passage by submitting formal implementing legislation (HR 3045, S 1307) to Congress. Under the “fast track” legislative process of Trade Promotion Authority, the House has 60 days to vote. That vote is now expected to take place sometime in July.  The Senate has an additional 30 days to act after House passage.   The Good News on CAFTA:  We’re Winning – CAFTA Short on Votes According to the June 27th Washington Trade Daily, in order to pass CAFTA, the President will need all 85 ‘Undecided’ members of congress to vote yes, and will actually need to switch some of the ‘No” votes to reach a majority.  Republican leadership say CAFTA is up for grabs, and remain far short of the 218 votes needed for approval. Others speculate Bush is likely to pay a high price for pushing passage of CAFTA.   There are only 110 members who say they are likely to vote for CAFTA, including 104 Republicans and six Democrats.  Opponents, meanwhile, are within striking distance of bringing the trade pact down. Some 204 members will vote against CAFTA – 32 Republicans, 171 Democrats and one Independent.  There are 85 declared undecided members – 67 Republicans and 18 Democrats – with 35 more members undeclared.   Rep. Walter Jones (R-N.C.) said June 21 that some 30 to 40 GOP members are, like him, solidly opposed to the proposed U.S.-Dominican Republic-Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR).  The leading Democratic opponent said some 190 Democrats would vote against it.   The Bad: USDA Plants Its Own Pro-CAFTA News The U.S. Department of Agriculture has churned out three dozen radio and television news segments that promote CAFTA.  Amid an intense debate over government-funded efforts to influence news coverage, the prepackaged reports have been widely distributed to broadcast outlets across the country for easy insertion into newscasts.  The USDA's CAFTA reports were produced while the administration was dealing with the fallout over its payments to journalists to tout its policies. One television commentator, Armstrong Williams, was paid $240,000 to champion the administration's education plans.   The Ugly:  U.S. Blocked Release of CAFTA Reports  The Labor Department kept secret for more than a year government studies that supported Democratic opponents of the Bush administration's new Central American trade deal, internal documents show.  The studies, paid for by the department, concluded that several countries the administration wants to be granted free-trade status have poor working conditions and fail to protect workers' rights. The agency dismissed the conclusions as inaccurate and biased, according to documents reviewed by The Associated Press.  "In practice, labor laws on the books in Central America are not sufficient to deter employers from violations, as actual sanctions for violations of the law are weak or nonexistent," the contractor, the International Labor Rights Fund, wrote in one of the reports.   More News You Can Use   8500 U.S. Businesses Urge Bush To Scrap CAFTA  The U.S. Business and Industry Council released a letter signed by 24 business organizations -- speaking for some 8,500 companies in dozens of industries -- urging President Bush to scrap CAFTA.  According to USBIC President Kevin L. Kearns, the letter shows that opposition to CAFTA extends far beyond textile and sugar interests and organized labor. "The anti-CAFTA and anti-outsourcing stances expressed by this letter represent the broadest business opposition to a trade initiative in decades," Kearns noted.   Free-Trade Commitment On Hill Collapses The free-trade coalition of Republicans and Democrats that won passage of NAFTA and a series of other trade agreements throughout the 1990s has crumbled as Democratic support has fallen under President Bush. NAFTA passed the House in 1993 with 102 Democrats supporting it, including current Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi of California and Minority Whip Steny H. Hoyer of Maryland . Permanent normal trade relations with China passed in 2000 with the support of 73 House Democrats.   U.S. Trade Rep Helps Powerful Drug Industry The Washington Post's Harold Meyerson pointed out that the U.S. trade representative has become "the sales rep for the pharmaceutical industry" because they are blocking affordable prescription drugs for people in the region. The USTR, in fact, has an office, senior officer for Asia-Pacific and pharmaceutical policy, dedicated to assisting the already powerful U.S. drug industry. A copy of a related report and a press release is available online.   CAFTA repeats past mistakes Eight of ten Wisconsin delegation members recently opposed the Australian agreement that would define powdered milk outside of dairy products, allowing Aussies to flood U.S. markets. Republican Congressman Jim Sensenbrenner voted "no" on granting most favored nation status to China in 2000, "no" on the Australia agreement, and in favor of withdrawing from the World Trade Organization.   CAFTA on the Ropes: Agreement Must Protect People and the Environment The lack of worker and environmental protections leads the list of concerns as CAFTA is modeled after the failed 1994 North American Free Trade Agreement, or NAFTA. At its 10-year anniversary, the verdict on NAFTA is in: It is an economic, social and environmental failure.   LCV opposes CAFTA The League of Conservation Voters (LCV) is including the congressional vote in the National Environmental Scorecard, due to concern that the agreement's investor provisions could undermine environmental laws and regulations in the United States and Central America.  CAFTA does not require any country to adopt and maintain a set of basic environmental laws and regulations.   Teamsters Mobilize Against CAFTA   The leader called on 1.4 million brothers and sisters in the Teamsters Union, along with working families across the United States and around the world, to mobilize against CAFTA and for job protections and basic international labor standards.   U.S. sugar firms dig in on trade deal The inability to placate sugar producers, who are angry that the agreement would allow slightly increased imports, raises doubts about Bush's ability to push the trade deal through Congress.  Though sugar producers are large political contributors, their influence has been magnified because they have been able to turn Republican lawmakers against the party's leadership.   Madison City Council Passes Anti-CAFTA resolution 13-3 Madison is on record opposing the proposed Central American Free Trade Agreement. The "investor protection" provisions in CAFTA's Chapter 10 allow corporations to sue the U.S. to overturn local, state and federal laws that protect the environment, public health and workers' rights and regulate land use, by deeming them "unfair barriers to trade." For CAFTA, Party Pressure and Pork Rep. Charles B. Rangel (N.Y.), the ranking Democrat on the House Ways and Means Committee, which has jurisdiction over trade, said he has not been swayed by a personal visit from Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and an audience with the president. But, he said, others probably will be.  "I always had thought it would be impossible to pass this thing because of the hemorrhaging of Republican votes," he said, "but that was before I saw what they were doing to get Democratic votes. If there's no limit to what they'll pay, they've got to win."   The High, Hidden Cost of Free Trade Since 1990, the United States has run a cumulative trade deficit of almost $4 trillion, meaning that the United States now consumes $1.25 million per minute more in goods and services than it produces. Finally, the U.S. government’s cumulative budget deficit approaches a staggering $8 trillion. The American Manufacturing Trade Action Coalition’s (AMTAC).   Website of the Week:  www.sweatfree.org   SweatFreeCommunities new site includes updates from local sweatfree campaigns, a brand-new organizing guide and trainer’s manual, links to adopted sweatfree purchasing laws, and much more.  Use it to network, organize, and learn about the sweatfree movement.  Visit www.sweatfree.org, make it one of your favorites, and link to it from your site.   Trade Events 2005   July 2nd ~ Worldwide.  Bob Geldof's Live 8 Concert Event Will Be The Biggest Live Music Show The World Has Seen.  Concerts Being Staged Simultaneously In London, Paris , Berlin And Rome , will Be Televised To 1.5 Billion People. The Concerts Will Raise Awareness Of Third-World Debt And To Promote Fair Trade. See Related Stories»   July 12-16th ~ New Orleans :  NACUFs Annual Conference.  The National Association Of Colleges And University Food Services talk Fair Trade.   July 31- August 2nd ~ Racine :  Towards A Globalization Of Solidarity.  Siena Center 5635 Erie Street , Racine .  Sponsored By The Racine Dominican Sisters.  Contact Jean Verber at (262) 639-4100 or Jverber@Racinedominicans.Org   August 8-14th ~ San Diego :  Student Coalition Summer Fair Trade Activist Training. To Register, Go To Www.Ssc.Org/Issues/Trade.   August 25th ~ Milwaukee :  Free Trade: Whom Does It Serve? 7:00 P.M.   Wehr Hall, Alverno College Campus In Milwaukee .  Contact Rosemary Huddleston, World Mission Ministries 414/769-3405 Or Huddlestonr@Archmil.Org   September 10th ~ Baraboo: Fightin' Bobfest.  Contacts: Hirok8@Aol.Com.  Web Site Http://Www.Fightingbobfest.Org/   September 10th ~ Milwaukee :  The Milwaukee Chapter Of The  United Nations Association Will Call Attention To The Worldwide Effort To Achieve The UN's 8 Millennium  Development Goals By 2015.  For More See Www.Whiteband.Org   Sept 30-Oct 2nd  ~ Chicago: The National Fair Trade Conference Includes SERRV, Catholic Relief Services, Cooperative Coffees, Equal Exchange, Lutheran World Relief, Oxfam America And Ten Thousand Villages. Contact:  Jaime@Fairtradefederation.Org   October ~ Nationwide:  Fair Trade Month 2005 - Celebrate Fair Trade Month And Help Raise Awareness Across The Nation. Submit Your Fair Trade Month Events Here.   October 13-15th ~  Milwaukee : Catholic Archdiocese Education Conference.   December 13-18th  ~  Hong Kong :  Sixth WTO Ministerial Conference. Organizations Wanting To To Attend The 6th Ministerial Conference Of The Wto Should Visit Http://Www.Wto.Org/English/Thewto_E/Minist_E/Min05_E/Min05_E.Htm Or Contact Csmaller@Iatp.Org.  If you like our newsletter, please forward it on to others in the trade movement and ask them to subscribe at www.citizenstrade.org/lists. We’ll never give up your email address. To join the Wisconsin Fair Trade Coalition, contact agussert@charter.net.    WFTC ~ 3129 Hermina Street ~ Madison WI 53714 Tel 608.237.1659 ~ Fax 608.442.1439 ~ www.wiscotrader.org

The WiscoTrader Fair Trade News and Views You Won’t Find In Mainstream Media June 23rd, 2005 ~ Issue 13 ~ Grassroots Press on CAFTA                 Generate Coverage on CAFTA  Writing a letter to the editor of your local paper has never been easier.  With three simple steps, you can generate media coverage on CAFTA, outsourcing and unfair trade agreements.  With new technology, here’s all it takes:   Visit MoveOn’s “Letter to the Editor” site and plug in your zip code. Fill in the subject and body of the letter.  There’s a couple of examples below. Put in your name and address, and press send.  Repeat if you want to send to multiple papers in your area. You don’t have to leave your computer, or look up any newspaper addresses.  The whole process will take five minutes.  Simply go to http://www.moveonpac.org/lte/index.html and get started right now.  Here are some examples:  SUBJECT:  Letter to the Editor on CAFTA  BODY   Over a year ago, on May 28th, 2004 , President Bush signed the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) without Congressional approval.  A year has passed, and Congress still hasn’t taken a vote.  The House and Senate typically approve or reject trade agreements within 60 days of the President’s signature, but the Bush Administration is stalling because they don’t have enough support.   Unless we stop the flawed approach of NAFTA and CAFTA, we will continue to outsource more jobs, offshore more business, jeopardize family farmers, harm women and children, and destroy our environment.  I’m urging readers to call the Capitol Switch Board at (202) 224-3121 and they will connect you directly to our congressional office.  Ask our Representative to come out publicly against CAFTA, and to vote it down in Congress.  Sincerely,  SUBJECT:  Letter to the Editor on Outsourcing  BODY  Our jobs are being outsourced, and it is directly related to unfair trade policies being passed in Washington DC .  If your job uses a phone or a computer, it could end up going offshore.  If you telecommute from home, chances are your job could easily be outsourced.  Whether you are an accountant or architect, a paralegal or a programmer, everybody needs to be concerned about the offshoring of the American economy.  The Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) is the largest – and worst – trade agreement in over a decade. Unless we stop the flawed approach of NAFTA and CAFTA, we will continue to outsource more jobs, offshore more business, jeopardize family farmers, harm women and children, and destroy our environment.  I’m urging readers to call the Capitol Switch Board at (202) 224-3121, and they will connect you directly to our congressional office.  Ask our Representative to come out publicly against CAFTA, and to vote it down in Congress.  Sincerely,    Wisconsin Fair Trade Coalition  WFTC ~ 3129 Hermina Street ~ Madison WI 53714 Tel 608.237.1659 ~ Fax 608.442.1439 ~ www.wiscotrader.org

 

The WiscoTrader Providing Fair Trade News and Views You Won’t Find In Mainstream Media June 16th, 2005 ~ Issue 12 ~ Sign Up to STOP CAFTA   In this Issue: Take Action:  Sign Up to Stop CAFTA The Good, the Bad and the Ugly on CAFTA Website of the Week”  Live 8 Concert Upcoming Trade Events Take Action:  SIGN UP TO STOP CAFTA NOW The Bush Administration and opponents of fair trade are pushing Congress to pass the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) this month.   Unfair trade agreements like CAFTA have helped send 2.5 million manufacturing jobs beyond our borders since 2001. Working families have already been devastated by NAFTA and GATT, which have taken away family-supporting jobs and offered only lower-paying jobs with fewer benefits or no jobs at all in return. Another flawed trade agreement like CAFTA would only mean more job losses for hardworking American families.   Stop CAFTA and stand up for fair trade policies that export American products, not American jobs.  Sign the “STOP CAFTA NOW” petition and join Senator Russ Feingold in our fight to save and create American jobs.  The pledge is simple.   I hereby affirm that:   I want to join the fight to STOP CAFTA NOW and save American jobs. I believe that the Bush Administration and opponents of fair trade are wrong to continue the outsourcing of American jobs. I support FAIR TRADE policies that put American workers and businesses on a level playing field. Click Here to Sign the Petition   Related Stories   Feingold Among Those Opposed to CAFTA, Wisconsin Ag Connection 6/1/05 Feingold letter to the editor regarding CAFTA, New York Times 6/1/05 The wrong trade czar, U.S. News & World Report 3/29/05   The Good:  Not Enough Votes on CAFTA . . . For Now   WTD’s informal poll of House members’ office currently suggests CAFTA supporters are far short of the votes needed to pass the agreement in the House. Some business lobbyists calculate that as many as 40 to 50 House Republicans -- out of 231 -- now appear inclined to oppose the treaty. Likewise, six of the eight Democrats on the Senate Finance Committee, as well as Vermont Independent James Jeffords, voted against the agreement Tuesday. Among those seven opponents, four backed NAFTA in 1993. On Wednesday, 15 of the 17 Democrats on the Ways and Means Committee voted against the treaty.    Republicans like Sen. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, expressed her concern with the job loss that the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) had created for her state, and voted against CAFTA-DR.  Rep. Phil English (R-Pa) voted against CAFTA in committee, saying his "no" vote was intended to send a strong signal that trade problems with China need to be addressed.  "In my view, until we deal with the elephant in the room, China , trade liberalizing measures will be advanced with only limited, tepid support," he said. The Bad:  CAFTA Passes Senate and House Committees this Week   The House Ways and Means Committee approved the agreement by a 25 to 16 vote.  CAFTA passed through the Senate Finance Committee by a vote of 11-9 on Tuesday. The Administration must now decide when to submit the formal implementing legislation – an action that starts the legislative clock running under Trade Promotion Authority’s "fast track" process for trade agreements.  Depending on how quickly the Administration sends the legislation, the House could vote later this month before the July Independence Day recess.   The Ugly:  CAFTA Could Pass in Congress this Month   If the Administration acts fast, it is a strong signal that they think they have the votes. Support could grow significantly if two issues are addressed – US sugar producers’ concerns about increased imports and members’ desire for action against China’s unfair trade practices.    What can you do?  Call the Capitol Switch Board at (202) 224-3121 and they will connect you directly to your member’s office. Wisconsin delegation contact information and voting records can also be found at www.wiscotrader.org/action. To find out who represents you in Congress, visit to \www.house.gov/writerep/ Sample Script:  Hello, my name is _______ and I live in the district. I'm calling to ask Representative _______ to vote against the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA). These unfair trade agreements will outsource more Wisconsin jobs, offshore more Wisconsin business, jeopardize family farmers and harm our environment.  Can I ask you:  Will the Representative publicly come out and oppose CAFTA before the vote?  My address is __________ and I’m hoping you can send me a response.  Thank you. Website of the Week:  Live 8 – The Long Walk to Justice  “The biggest live music show the world has seen” is being held July 2nd – exactly 20 years after Live Aid -- to promote fair trade.  Bob Geldof is calling upon world leaders attending the G8 Summit in Scotland on July 6 to increase international aid, promote fair trade and cancel the debt of the world's poorest countries.   Artists including U2, Madonna and Sting performed at the original event, and will appear at Live 8 two decades later.  Five simultaneous concerts have already been planned for the event in London , Philadelphia , Berlin , Paris and Rome . The 16-hour broadcast of live music is expected to be watched by 1.5 billion people.  See related stories »   Trade Events 2005   June 20th ~ Madison :  Iraqi Union Leaders To Speak.  Noon at Labor Temple , 1602 South Park .  Contact Jim Cavanaugh (608) 256-5111 See Http://Www.Scfl.Org  or Www.Truthout.Org/Issues_05/041905la.Shtml June 20th ~ Milwaukee : Iraqis To Speak Of Labor Struggles.  7:00 Pm. Teamsters Local 200 Hall, 6200 W. Bluemound Road .  Contact Sue Ruggles (414) 297-6276 or Ruggless@Matc.Edu June 21st ~ Racine :  Closing the School Of The Americas .  7:00 P.M.   Racine Building of Gateway Technical College .  Contacts: Dick Kinch (262) 638-0204. July 2nd ~ Worldwide.  Bob Geldof's Live 8 Concert Event Will Be The Biggest Live Music Show The World Has Seen.  Concerts Being Staged Simultaneously In London, Paris , Berlin And Rome , will Be Televised To 1.5 Billion People. The Concerts Will Raise Awareness Of Third-World Debt And To Promote Fair Trade. See Related Stories» July 12-16th ~ New Orleans :  NACUFs Annual Conference.  The National Association Of Colleges And University Food Services talk Fair Trade. July 31- August 2nd ~ Racine :  Towards A Globalization Of Solidarity.  Siena Center 5635 Erie Street , Racine .  Sponsored By The Racine Dominican Sisters.  Contact Jean Verber at (262) 639-4100 or Jverber@Racinedominicans.Org August 8-14th ~ San Diego :  Student Coalition Summer Fair Trade Activist Training. To Register, Go To Www.Ssc.Org/Issues/Trade. August 25th ~ Milwaukee :  Free Trade: Whom Does It Serve? 7:00 P.M.   Wehr Hall, Alverno College Campus In Milwaukee .  Contact Rosemary Huddleston, World Mission Ministries 414/769-3405 Or Huddlestonr@Archmil.Org September 10th ~ Baraboo: Fightin' Bobfest.  Contacts: Hirok8@Aol.Com.  Web Site Http://Www.Fightingbobfest.Org/  September 10th ~ Milwaukee :  The Milwaukee Chapter Of The  United Nations Association Will Call Attention To The Worldwide Effort To Achieve The UN's 8 Millennium  Development Goals By 2015.  For More See Www.Whiteband.Org  Sept 30-Oct 2nd  ~ Chicago: The National Fair Trade Conference Includes SERRV, Catholic Relief Services, Cooperative Coffees, Equal Exchange, Lutheran World Relief, Oxfam America And Ten Thousand Villages. Contact:  Jaime@Fairtradefederation.Org October ~ Nationwide:  Fair Trade Month 2005 - Celebrate Fair Trade Month And Help Raise Awareness Across The Nation. Submit Your Fair Trade Month Events Here.  October 13-15th ~ Milwaukee: Catholic Archdiocese Education Conference.  December 13-18th  ~  Hong Kong:  Sixth WTO Ministerial Conference. Organizations Wanting To To Attend The 6th Ministerial Conference Of The Wto Should Visit Http://Www.Wto.Org/English/Thewto_E/Minist_E/Min05_E/Min05_E.Htm Or Contact Csmaller@Iatp.Org.  January 2006 ~ Caracas:  Polycentric 6th World Social Forum - Americas Chapter and the 2nd Americas Social Forum. If you like our newsletter, please forward it on to others in the trade movement and ask them to subscribe at www.citizenstrade.org/lists. We’ll never give up your email address. To join the Wisconsin Fair Trade Coalition, contact agussert@charter.net.    WFTC ~ 3129 Hermina Street ~ Madison WI 53714 Tel 608.237.1659 ~ Fax 608.442.1439 ~ www.wiscotrader.org

 

The WiscoTrader Providing Fair Trade News and Views You Won’t Find In Mainstream Media June 7th, 2005 ~ Issue 11 ~ Our Worldview is Starting to be Shared by the World In this Issue: Kudos to Bob Geldof and the World Live 8 Concert The Good, the Bad and the Ugly on Trade CAFTA Update: Senate Vote on June 14th Take Action: Job Retention Act Trade News You Can Use Upcoming Trade Events Kudos to Bob Geldof and the Live 8 Concert Event “The biggest live music show the world has seen” is being held July 2nd – exactly 20 years after Live Aid -- to raise awareness of third-world debt and to promote fair trade.  Geldof is calling upon world leaders attending the G8 Summit in Scotland on July 6 to increase international aid, promote fair trade and cancel the debt of the world's poorest countries.   Artists including U2, Madonna and Sting performed at the original event, and will appear at Live 8 two decades later.  Five simultaneous concerts have already been planned for the event in London , Philadelphia , Berlin , Paris and Rome . The 16-hour broadcast of live music is expected to be watched by 1.5 billion people.  See related stories »   The Good:  France Frowns on “Free Trade” Facade The polls closed in France , and the people of that Pro-Euro nation decided they don’t want anything to do with a so-called European Trade Union.   One demonstrator’s sign really said it all: “No to free trade in Europe .”   An Ipsos poll said that French public employees, blue-collar workers, the unemployed, farmers, and young people rejected the European constitution by margins of from 55% to 79%.  The Times suggests that European leaders are now "likely to talk down American-British-style economic policy, with its emphasis on competition and untrammeled markets."  The Dutch also rejected the agreement, and Tony Blair announced his country would indefinitely postpone a referendum on the European Union constitution, essentially following the failed CAFTA delay strategy in the US .   Bottom Line:  Momentum has shifted, the World is beginning to share our view, and the fair trade movement is winning from Pewaukee to Paris , and places in between.   The Bad:  Congressman Ryan Unabashed Bush Trade Zealot As President Bush named CAFTA, WTO negotiations, and enforcement of trade agreements as his top priority during the May 17th swearing in of the new U.S. Trade Representative, Congressman Paul Ryan (R-WI) was one of a handful of congressional members to attend the event and be recognized for his work on promoting CAFTA.  Ryan has consistently voted in favor of unfair trade agreements, and is the only elected official in the state delegation to support the agreement.  (His congressional office still denies he has taken a position, while a majority of the Wisconsin delegation have publicly opposed CAFTA.)    Feel free to call the Congressman toll free at 866-340-9279 and ask him to clarify his position.  Leave him a message that he should publicly oppose CAFTA and stop the outsourcing of Wisconsin jobs. Email his trade staff at Clete.Willems@mail.house.gov.   The Ugly:  Corporations Crowd Conservation Orgs Out of CAFTA Conflict Missing from the CAFTA coalition is an elite subset of the environmental movement: The international biodiversity conservation organizations. Little by little, these groups have shifted to market-based approaches to conservation, and their silence is beholden.    Not one of the four major groups in this field -- Conservation International, the World Wildlife Fund, The Nature Conservancy, and the Wildlife Conservation Society -- has demonstrated the courage to oppose CAFTA, and their silence is inexcusable. The immediate threats CAFTA poses to Central America is self-evident: While accounting for less than 1 percent of the world's land mass, the area estimated to hold 8 to 10 percent of the planet's species.  Click here to read more.    CAFTA Update:  Vote May Come June 14th Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-TN) has informally signaled CAFTA could be one of three bills that come up for a Senate floor vote in the last week of June, but also added they may opt to consider the defense authorization bill in the fourth week of June instead.   After failing to gain enough support in his committee to hold a mock mark-up in May, Senate Finance Committee Chair Grassley (R-IA) has tentatively set June 14 for the mock-up. He will likely only go ahead with the hearing if he has enough CAFTA support among committee members to avoid another embarrassment like the previous CAFTA informational hearing in April.   If the Senate Committee holds its mock-up, the House Ways and Means will likely hold one very shortly thereafter. This would complete final hurdles before the White House would be able to introduce actual implementing legislation and thus start the Fast Track clock ticking.   This is the key time for maximum pressure on uncommitted members, including Congressmen Ryan, Petri, Green and Sensenbrenner.  Call them at 866-340-9279 and urge them to publicly oppose CAFTA.   Take Action: The Wisconsin Jobs Retention Act Currently, there are clear economic incentives for companies operating in Wisconsin to offshore our jobs, move their headquarters overseas, and avoid paying Wisconsin taxes.  Representative Terese Berceau and Senator Mark Miller introduced the Jobs Retention Act to stop the companies that outsource jobs or incorporate overseas from receiving state contracts or benefits.  Contact your state senator and your assembly rep and ask them to each co-sponsor the Jobs Retention Act (LRB-1162/4/1) by Thursday, June 9th.  You can also check the Senate and Assembly e-mail directory pages to write them a message.  Be sure to include your address, and ask for a reply.   Click here to Listen to Rep. Berceau on Wisconsin Public Radio talking about the Job Retention Act.  You can click here to see a copy of LRB 1162/4.   Related:  Anti-Outsourcing Issue Polls High A new national poll conducted in May shows 76% of voters favor candidates who want to end tax breaks to companies that move jobs abroad and to provide incentives for those who create jobs here. The poll also asked respondents to consider statements that represent the "Lou Dobbs" and "Tom Friedman" viewpoints about globalization, the first expressing dismay over lost jobs, and the second emphasizing steps to compete in a global economy.  The Dobbs perspective was selected by 54% of respondents; the Friedman viewpoint by 40%.    Trade News You Can Use Lands' End Closes Call Centers The Lands' End call center in Cross Plains closed its doors on Sunday, and about half of the nearly 200 people who lost their jobs started dislocated worker training.  During its heyday, the center had 750 full- and part-time employees. The company, which was purchased by Sears, Roebuck & Co., announced a restructuring early this year and then laid off a total of 375 people.  Many of those jobs are expected to be outsourced to cheaper overseas calling centers, but the company refuses to confirm those suspicions.  Several of the CAD software jobs have already been outsourced.   Wisconsin vs. CAFTA With a vote on the corporate-friendly trade deal expected soon, it is now clear that a majority of the state's congressional delegation will oppose the move to extend the disastrous model for trade relations that began with the North American Free Trade Agreement.  Credit is due U.S. Sen. Herb Kohl, D-Wis., and U.S. Rep. Ron Kind, D-La Crosse, for coming out early and aggressively against the proposed Central America Free Trade Agreement.   Feingold Among Those Opposed to CAFTA "The President called on Congress to pass the CAFTA, saying it would be good for American workers, farmers and small businesses," Feingold said in a statement. "But unfair trade agreements like CAFTA have helped send 2.5 million manufacturing jobs beyond our borders since 2001 and disadvantaged small family farmers in favor of multinational agribusinesses."   Wisconsin Biotechs Plan Japan Trade Mission Sponsored by the Japan External Trade Organization, or JETRO, the gathering will offer attendees an inside look into how Wisconsin biotech companies are evaluating how similar companies in Japan can do work with less labor and environmental costs. Executives who have traveled to Japan will talk about the difficulties and rewards of doing business there, including how to potentially move more Wisconsin business there.   Groups Complain at Wal-Mart Meeting With Wal-Mart's stock down 20 percent since March 2004, the investment community is looking to hear from Wal-Mart on how it will reverse its fortunes. Shareholders, company executives and employees gathered last week in Fayetteville , Arkansas to hear Lee Scott's report on the company's plans for the year ahead. WalmartWatch.com simultaneously launched their 2005 Annual Report: Low Prices at What Cost? and were busy distributing it on the ground.   State Officials Want State Out Of Trade Deal Vermont Gov. James Douglas' is taking a tough look at whether the state could be harmed by including its markets in CAFTA.  A House committee is also considering two bills that would revoke the administration's authority to sign on in support of the Central America Free Trade Agreement and the South African Customs Union.   Hispanic Caucus Opposes CAFTA    The Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) voted to oppose CAFTA last week, saying “It will only continue to broaden the gap between the haves and have-nots," according to caucus chair Rep. Grace Napolitano (D-CA). The statement cites the failure of the USTR to respond to the request of the caucus "to negotiate an agreement that included meaningful labor and environmental obligations, including a fully enforceable commitment by CAFTA countries to adopt and effectively enforce internationally recognized core labor standards."  In addition, the caucus members cite the "lopsided" impact of NAFTA.  "In Mexico , 1.3 million small to medium-size Mexican farmers have been forced off their land because they were unable to compete with large multi-national producers.”   AIDS Advocates Announce CAFTA's Anti-Generic Drug Provisions Advocates with expertise on the HIV crisis among Latin Americans called on