The Real Colombia
Read the story of a Colombian activist who was forced to flee his country after learning paramilitary groups had marked him for death....... more

Anti-Sweatshop Legislation Cosponsors
The Anti-Sweatshop bill is quickly gaining steam with nearly 200 cosponsors to date. The following is a listing of supporters....... more

USW Helps Derail Human Trafficking and Slave Labor in Jordan
Submitted by Leo W. Gerard, United Steelworkers President Of all the USW’s continuing efforts to assist exploited workers around the globe, our work in the Middle East - in the country of Jordan - may be one of the most important. Workers being raped, beaten, intimidated, harassed, cheated of their wages and held as virtual slaves have been standard ...... more

USW Action in Jordan - Photos
Photos from the USW trip to Jordan in January 2008....... more

Alcoa Sweatshops in Honduras
Did you think that union busting and the worst sweatshop abuses in the global economy are always in textile factories where clothes are made for the American marketplace? If so, think again....... more

What People Are Saying About the Anti-Sweatshop Bill
“This groundbreaking legislation has the power to incorporate the values of dignity and respect for human rights in our trade relationships. For far too long, our trade agreements have focused on corporate protections while ignoring the lives of human beings within our global economy. We can do better - and we must.” - Leo W. Gerard, USW ...... more

Groundbreaking Anti-Sweatshop Legislation Introduced
The global race to the bottom is fueled by corporations that search out the cheapest labor and fewest standards in order to produce their goods. As we know, these finished products are often bound for the U.S. market. In this process, workers abroad are exploited, while workers here find themselves unable to compete on this anything-but-level playing ...... more

What is a Sweatshop Good?
The Decent Working Conditions and Fair Competition Act (S. 367 & H.R. 1992) will ban sweatshop goods from entering the U.S. market as well as prevent our government from purchasing these products with taxpayer dollars. A sweatshop good is any good manufactured in a condition that violates core labor standards, including: The right to associate, organize ...... more

Anti-Sweatshop Legislation Based on Dog and Cat Act
The Decent Working Conditions and Fair Competition Act (S. 367 & H.R. 1992) would operate in a similiar manner to a piece of legislation signed into law in November 2000. The Dog and Cat Protection Act prohibits the "importing, exporting, manufacturing, selling, advertising, transporting, or distributing" of any dog or cat fur product. ...... more

A Short History of Fast Track
Fast Track has been around since the early 1970s, but not every president has received the authority. With the highly controversial nature of trade agreements, any request for Fast Track today will undoubtedly meet with staunch resistance from the USW and others....... more

Ohio Rapid Response Activists Organize June 16 Forum
American Standard corporate executives announced they were no longer interested in continuing the company’s well-known Bath and Kitchen business in early February 2007. Citing diminishing profits, they are poised to dump those operations along with thousands of employees by fall. Rapid Reponse activists in Ohio are responding by organizing a public ...... more

Oman FTA Passes in Senate and House
The Senate followed their usual free-trading path, passing the Oman Free Trade Agreement (OFTA) on June 29, 2006 by a vote of 60-34. While this vote was not as close as the recent CAFTA vote, it was better than some other recent trade votes. Positive news came from the House of Representatives on the same day. With pressure from Rapid Response activists, ...... more

Comparing the House Oman and CAFTA Votes
Despite strong efforts from Steelworkers and revelations of national security risks, the Oman Free Trade Agreement (FTA) passed in the House of Representatives by a vote of 221-205. This vote is another testament to the disconnected state of many of our legislators; the majority of House members voted for big business and their campaign contributions ...... more

CAFTA Passes Both House and Senate
Late on Thursday, June 30, 2005, the Senate completed debate on CAFTA and passed the agreement by a vote of 54-45. The vote represents one of the closest votes on a trade agreement ever in the Senate. The House vote occurred nearly a month later just after midnight on July 28, by a margin of 217-215 (a tie vote would have meant defeat for CAFTA). The ...... more