Letter to President Bush Calls for Action on AFL-CIO’s Section 301 Petition

The President should use this week’s Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade (JCCT) meetings to press the Chinese government to respect workers’ fundamental human rights and to protect the rights and interests of workers here at home, AFL-CIO President John Sweeney urged President Bush in a letter today. The trade meetings, which include the Chinese Vice Premier Wu Yi, are an annual high-level gathering, representing the best opportunity for a year for the Bush administration to address the repression of Chinese workers and its resulting downward pressure on America’s manufacturing jobs and wages.

President Sweeney urges President Bush to accept the AFL-CIO’s Section 301 petition to the U.S. Trade Representative on workers’ rights in China before the meetings and use it to create serious discussions with the Chinese government on trade enforcement and workers’ rights. The AFL-CIO filed the 301 petition on March 16, and the Bush administration decision on whether to accept it is due by the end of April. The petition documents massive violations of fundamental workers’ rights in China, and demonstrates the burden these violations impose on U.S. commerce and jobs. The petition’s goal is to establish a balanced economic relationship with China by creating a fair playing field for America’s workers.

Call Media Outreach at 202-637-5018 for a copy of the letter.