Greensboro News-Record


CAFTA Foes Stress NC Job Loss Fears

Jul 19, 2005
by Don Patterson

A group of North Carolina companies have organized a grass-roots campaign to oppose the Central American Free Trade Agreement, which should be considered by the U.S. House of Representatives later this month.

The loose-knit group, which has no name, has been lobbying members of Congress to vote against the trade deal and are urging citizens to contact their representatives.

To get their message out, organizers plan to erect several anti-CAFTA billboards across the state, including at least two in the Piedmont.

One will go up in Greensboro and another in Burlington, perhaps as early as this week. Other billboards have gone up in the Hickory area.

"In my opinion, CAFTA is going to result in the horrible loss of thousands upon thousands of jobs," said Nim Harris, president of Pickett Hosiery in Burlington and an organizer of the group. "These won't just be textile jobs, they will be jobs in supporting industries like dyes and chemicals and packaging items."

CAFTA will likely come to a vote in the House, where it faces an uncertain fate, before the August recess, those close to the issue say.
How they're leaning
Here are the positions of Piedmont House members on the Central America Free Trade Agreement:

Virginia Foxx, 5th District, No

Howard Coble, 6th District, leaning no

Mel Watt, 12th District, Undecided

Brad Miller, 13th District, No.
The agreement is designed to lower trade barriers among the United States and Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua.

Supporters say CAFTA will open new markets for North Carolina products and create jobs.

Opponents, such as Harris, say the treaty will cost the state jobs and compare it to the North America Free Trade Agreement, which Congress passed more than a decade ago.

Harris said the CAFTA countries are too small to provide a significant target for U.S. trade.

"The problem is they don't have any money," Harris said. "And if they did, they are not willing to spend it on American goods."

Organizers say that between 40 and 50 companies are involved in the anti-CAFTA effort. Many are in the hosiery business.

"We are trying to tie CAFTA to the loss of jobs across North Carolina," said Darrell Frye, chief financial officer for Harriss & Covington Hosiery Mills in High Point. "We are not trading anything except our jobs."

CAFTA supporters have their own ad campaign under way, but it is being focused in the Washington area.

One ad shows two pairs of jeans.

It says the pair made in Central America uses fabrics and materials made in North Carolina and other states. But the pair made in Asia uses only materials made in Asia.

"We need for people to understand the relationship between the U.S. and Central America," said Stephen Lamar, senior vice president for the American Apparel and Footwear Association in Washington. "We wanted to try to show fairly simply what the partnership was like."

So far, House members from North Carolina apparently haven't gotten the message. To date, only Rep. Sue Myrick, a Republican from the 9th District, has come out in support of CAFTA.

Most others say they will vote no or are likely to vote no.

Most Washington observers say the Bush administration still lacks the votes it needs to pass CAFTA in the House.

But Lamar said he's optimistic.

"I think we will have the votes when the votes are taken," he said. "A lot of people have said they are not going to make a decision until the very last minute."



Contact Donald W. Patterson at 373-7027




Jim Schollaert
Director of Strategic Outreach
American Manufacturing Trade Action Coalition jschollaert@amtacdc.org work phone: 202-452-0866, Extension 334 home phone: 703-524-7197 work fax: 202-452-0739