September 26, 2008

MFTC delivered 24,000 NAFTA Pink Slips to Senator Susan Collins' office in Bangor.  Each one of those 24,000 pieces of paper represents a Maine  manufacturing worker who lost their job since NAFTA passed in 1994.  Due to unfair trade agreements, good paying middle class Maine jobs have been outsourced, leaving behind working families in our state. 

Susan Collins still has not take a position on a NAFTA expansion to Colombia, the Colombia Free Trade Agreement, although the agreement was negotiated 22 months ago.  We demand she take a position against this horrific FTA. 

This week, 80 Colombian lobbyists were in Washington, D.C. to push Congress for the trade deal, including the President of Colombia. 

Thanks to everyone who carried pink slips to her office. 






Alec Maybarduk of MSEA-SEIU spoke about the job loss and future job loss we will see if we continue to expand this failed trade model to new countries and new sectors.  Service sector jobs are the next most vulnerable job sector to outsourcing.



Dan Lawson of USW 261 spoke about the impact of lost jobs on his brothers and sisters in the paper industry. 



Bonnie Preston of the Alliance for Democracy and Scott Ruffner of Bangor hold up NAFTA pink slips.



Marie Guinard of Teamsters 340



Martin of Food and Medicine and Bud Russell of the Steelworkers in Millinocket



Dan Lawson the 4th



Marie Guinard, Margaret Baille of PICA, and Jimmy Cook of MSEA-SEIU



Jon Falk of PICA



Too many lost jobs



Jack McKay of Food and Medicine



One GIANT pink slip held by Brian and Marie



All the USW members- what a crew!





Gil from the Laborers and Chaos from Dogs for Fair Trade