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March 2011 
Dear members, friends, and allies of KAFT:
We are calling upon you to call members of the House of Representatives to express your opposition to the proposed Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement. This disastrous NAFTA-style deal has been signed but still needs to be ratified by the U.S. Congress and South Korean National Assembly to go into effect. We need to let members of Congress know that people oppose this deal before it’s too late.
We have done our best to make the process as easy as possible for you. We have provided names and numbers of key House members that we’d like to get through to and where we have KAFT representation. We have also included a script which you can use or adapt as you like. We have been told time and again that calls really do matter—this is a concrete thing that everyone can do to help stop the FTA. The list of Congress members and the script is tailored to the “Korean American community,” but if you are in a different city or do not identify as Korean/Korean American, yet share our concerns, please adapt this to your situation.
Please add your voice and speak out for trade that is fair and supports workers, consumers, and the environment. Join this growing group by emailing KAfairtrade@gmail.com.
More info is below, and feel free to contact us directly at KAfairtrade@gmail.com.
At this time, the Obama Administration in the U.S. and the Lee Myung Bak Administration in South Korea are pushing hard to pass the proposed Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement (KORUS FTA). This agreement, modeled on the disastrous NAFTA deal, was negotiated in 2006-07, in the period of deregulatory frenzy that led to our current economic recession. Although there were some new negotiations in 2010, the chapters on financial deregulation and the excessive power given to transnational corporations continue to be core to the agreement. The agreement forbids reference to substantive sections of the International Labor Organization standards. It also makes environmental protection more difficult, requiring adherence only to a short list of mutually agreed-upon protocols. KAFT is in favor of trade that benefits people, but this deal simply strengthens corporate rights in both countries at the expense of people’s rights and the environment in both countries. For more information about the proposed KORUS FTA, see the letter from KAFT and other resources below.
Founded in 2006, Korean Americans for Fair Trade (KAFT) is a network of individuals and organizations committed to sustainable and equitable trade. We believe in trade that benefits people and the environment. We favor trade policies that respect the rights of workers and farmers, and contribute to a sustainable and just future.
For more on the Korea-US FTA, see:
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