According to Outdoor Industry Association, The AFL-CIO plans to work with members of Congress in 2006 to draft legislation that would impose a temporary surcharge on imports in an effort to bring the U.S. trade deficit under control. According to the labor organization, the action should be legal under World Trade Organization rules, which allow countries to temporarily restrict imports in order to safeguard their external financial position and their balance of payments.
Specifically, the labor group said that it intends to: develop and implement an action plan in consultation with congressional, business, academic, and community partners; craft and build support for implementing legislation by seeking co-sponsors, holding hearings and Capitol Hill briefings, and generating letters of support from allies; educate members, the public, and elected leaders on the current crisis and the importance of taking urgent and effective action to address it; hold a major high-profile public forum; and ensure that this agenda is tied to the AFL-CIOs political work in the 2006 election and beyond.
In its statement, the AFL-CIO also pledged to fight against additional FTAs, including those with Peru, Colombia, Ecuador, the Southern African Customs Union (SACU), Oman, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Thailand, Panama, and Korea, and it called on the Bush Administration and Congress to strengthen enforcement of trade laws. However, the group said, these measures alone will not be enough to “turn around the current [trade] imbalance,” thus the need for the import surcharge.
