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FTAA CAMPAIGN UPDATE March 2003Our fourth issue features plans for Miami and DC mobilizations, and organizing in the US. If you have stories or lessons to share about your organizing against
the FTAA, email them to Kate at kmcmahon@faireconomy.org.
Please also subscribe to our listserv for crucial campaign news: email update-subscribe@peoplesconsultation.org . check out www.peoplesconsultation.org. MOBILIZATIONS, TOURS, AND EVENTMOBILIZING FOR MIAMI COME TO WASHINGTON, DC The Latin America Solidarity Coalition is organizing a massive protest rally in the Capital on Sunday, April 13 followed by a march to the World Bank and the IMF buildings, where their annual Spring meetings take place. In the days before, the Latin America Solidarity Conference III offers direct action trainings, educational workshops and strategy sessions, a lobby day to close the School of the Americas, street theatre, film screenings and more. Visit www.LASOLIDARITY.org and/or call (202) 234 3440 for more information. GET IN ON THIS TOUR: AND COME TO MIAMI FOR THESE IMPORTANT DATES: November 19-22: The AFL-CIO, Citizens Trade Campaign, the Florida Fair Trade Coalition, and Jobs with Justice are among those organizing teach-ins, seminars, reality tours, concerts and more! To hook in or learn more, interested groups can contact CTC at 202-778-3320, ftaainfo@citizenstrade.org, or FFTC at 727-869-8224, info@flfairtrade.org. AFL-CIO Passes Resolution against FTAA; Labor Maps out Plans for Miami!On February 27, the AFL-CIO Executive Council issued a statement against the proposed Free Trade Area of the Americas: “Now is the time for the American labor movement to mobilize a grassroots education and outreach campaign here in the United States to build awareness about the FTAA and to educate our elected officials and candidates in preparation for the 2004 elections. Our actions now will determine the FTAA’s future and thus the direction of economic development in the region for years to come.” The Executive Council has identified Miami as a “an important opportunity to defeat the flawed FTAA.” Their campaign plans include:
For the full text of the resolution see www.peoplesconsultation.org and click on Updates. CAFTA UPDATESThe FTAA deadline is the end of 2004, but the Central American Free Trade Agreement is on a fast track for completion this year. CAFTA is a preview of the FTAA, and if it passes, it’ll be harder to stop the same new rules in the FTAA. Many local and national activist groups understand this urgency and continue to fight against CAFTA, here and in Central America: 50 people protested at a recent CAFTA meeting in Cincinnati; CISPES and other international labor and human rights groups successfully occupied the Salvadoran Consulates in New York and San Francisco last month to protest the Central American government’s privatization of health care, treatment of unions, and free trade initiatives; the consulates were forced to shut down temporarily. Remember: a triumph over CAFTA would be a real blow to impending FTAA agreements. Keep talking about it! LOCAL REPORTSPittsburgh Looking to Hook Up in Miami Pittsburgh Organizing Group www.organizepittsburgh.org is interested in talking with other groups about their plans for the Miami ministerial meeting in November. They are looking to maybe coordinate some teach-ins at the event, and will be looking for possible speakers. Contact POG to get the ball rolling at pog@mutualaid.org. New York City Calls for Organizers! The New York City People’s Consultation is off the ground and looking for new members! Meetings are at 7pm every first and third Wednesday of the month, at 130 West 29th Street, 9th floor. All are welcome to come get involved in any of the three committees: Media and Literature, Outreach, and Congresswatch. Contact them at 212-760-0333, or go to www.ftaareferendum.org to find out more. Global Justice Roadshow Sweeps the US, Creates Documentary on Free Trade! The Global Justice Roadshow, an Arizona-based collective, successfully conducted 23 workshops in 15 cities this fall, educating and organizing students and citizens around the IMF/World Bank, the FTAA, CAFTA, and the PPP. Workshops included slide presentations from the refugee camps and aerial spraying in Colombia, MST camps in Brazil, maquiladora workers in Mexico, and the OCP pipeline in Ecuador; the presentations inspired an uproar of horror, discussion, and excitement from the crowds gathered to learn more about neoliberal policy. Justin Rohde, one coordinator, says “people making connections between their struggles and others in the third world or inner city, between imperialism and free trade, between racism and US foreign policy inspires me to this day . . . [we] proved that anyone could collect the information and touch the lives of hundreds of people by being honest, personal, and creative.” In January, GJR went to Argentina and the World Social Forum to film a documentary on the economic crisis, privitization, and free trade. Rohde offers some insight for activists interested in similar projects: “Through Indymedia Argentina, Uruguay, Brazil, and Arizona I have been able to open a clear mode of communication and solidarity, and recommend that more people in the US learn to use those sites to listen more clearly to our Latin American sisters and brothers.” Jobs with Justice and ART Tackle the Northwest! The Northwest speaking tour was a success -- here is some local feedback from the tour. METHOW VALLEY, WASHINGTON. James W. Donaldson writes: “Thanks . . . You live in the hearts of our young people who you so kindly visited in our public school system as well as some very concerned citizens who came to hear the caravan speak about the impact FTAA will have on the lives of 800 million people from Argentina to Alaska . . . I think what struck the people most was that the public has been given nothing more than a suggestion box. I’m sure that your presentations will become letters and phone calls . . . There is, too, an excitement about a permanent committee to re-inform the local media about the FTAA debate.” WILLAMETTE, OREGON. Jim Cook writes: “A special thanks to you and all the others who helped with the public hearing on FTAA and Global Trade. The event was definitely a success, we got decent press coverage (front page of the local section of the Statesman Journal . . . and CCTV will air the hearing in about a month.) The testifiers . . . did a great job in explaining these complex agreements and demonstrating their real human impact.” QUESTIONS AND CONCERNS FOR CAMPAIGN ORGANIZERSLast month, we invited activists to sound off on their greatest challenges to anti-FTAA organizers. Many responses suggested that across the country, groups share the same concerns. Some suggestions: Strive for more presentable data for the Miami ministerial meeting. This might include use of the consulta ballot (peoplesconsultation.org) or a more simplified variant of it, as well as postcard campaigns such as that adopted by the AFL-CIO; Keep focusing on CAFTA and other urgent initiatives, while relating it to the larger scale FTAA campaign. CAFTA is a tangible goal at this point; this battle should be waged in the most organized way possible; Continue working on the balance between educational and legislative campaigns; spread the word. Mobilize individuals to get involved with the DC events in April and the Miami ministerial in November. This month’s question:
E-mail these and other contributions to Kate, at KmcMahon@faireconomy.org. We look forward to hearing your ideas, concerns, and success stories! |
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