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Fair Trade News:

10.14.08:
New study finds that 485,000 jobs are potentially offshorable in Minnesota More--

09.12.08:
Battle in Seattle Premier in Minneapolis at the Uptown Theatre Sept. 19th. Join us for the 7:00pm show and a discussion after at Common Roots.

07.30.08:
Representative Walz (D-01) signed on to the TRADE Act. Thanks for your support!

07.15.08:
Representative Oberstar signed on to the TRADE Act!

06.20.08:
Representative McCollum joins MN colleagues Reps Ellison and Peterson and signs the TRADE Act.

06.04.08:
TRADE Act presents new model to do trade. Read more about this ground breaking piece of legislation! More--

06.23.08:
Farmworker Victory, Burger King Campaign comes to an end More--

06.23.2008:
Bush lobbies congress to pass free trade deals More--

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Email aranney@citizenstrade.org to sign-on to our list serv and receive monthly news on trade in Minnesota and across the US as well as periodic action alerts.

Welcome!

Thanks for stopping by the Minnesota Fair Trade Coalition website.

We encourage you to click through and learn more about our organization, get key information and the latest news on trade and the global economy, and take action to fight for fair trade policy and a stronger economy!

Check back often for recent fair trade news, upcoming events, and opportunities to get involved.

Latest News and Events:

¿Where do the Candidates Stand on Trade?

Click here to check out our voter guide compiled by MNFTC showing the MN Senate and US Presidential Candidates positions on trade. Before November 4th, find out if your candidate supports fair trade!

We need your help!

Some of the candidates in the most hotly contested races in Minnesota still haven't come clean for their support of fair trade! It's up to all us to ask candidates those tough questions and tell us where they stand on trade.

What you can do:

1) Bird-dog the candidates! Call in to radio shows and participate in townhall forums, debates, or other public events where candidates speak and ask the candidates to take a position on trade. Click here to download our Bird-dogging Guide and also download our Candidate Focus Guide to get details on what questions each candidate should be asked.

Click here to find out where and when to meet the candidates and exercise your bird-dogging skills!

2) Become a rapid response bird-dogger! Can you show up at events, forums, round tables and luncheons where the candidates will be to ask them about trade? Email aranney@citizenstrade.org to sign up for our rapid-response bird-dogging list.

Half a million MN Jobs Potentially Offshorable

MINNEAPOLIS - Nearly half a million Minnesota jobs are vulnerable to being sent overseas, highlighting the need for new trade and tax policies, the Minnesota Fair Trade Coalition announced.

According to analysis by the Economic Policy Institute from this year, at least 485,000 current Minnesota employees, or 19 percent of all Minnesota jobs, are considered "offshorable," the coalition said.

Check out the entire article at Workday Minnesota!

Read the MNFTC Press Release on Trade and Offshorable Jobs

Panel Event: The Impacts of Trade and the 2008 Elections

MNFTC is pleased to cosponsor a forum on the diverse impacts that trade has here in Minnesota and across the world. Please join us to learn how trade impacts jobs, family farms and other issues in Minnesota on Tuesday, Oct. 21, at Augsburg College in Minneapolis. We will conclude the forum with an audience discussion on the ways we can put these important issues in the spotlight in the coming days before the elections on November 4th.

The forum will start at 7 p.m. in the Christensen Center, 2211 Riverside Ave. It is sponsored by the Minnesota Fair Trade Coalition, MPIRG and the Augsburg Coalition for Student Activism.

Speakers will include:

Rose Brewer, professor of African and African-American Studies at the University of Minnesota;
Gerardo Cajamarca, Colombian activist and organizer with the United Steelworkers;
Erik Esse with the Local Fair Trade Network;
Mike Goldman with the Dislocated Workers Program at the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development;
Dennis Olson, senior policy analyst at the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy

Click here to read the full press release

Minnesota TRW Plant Sends Assembly Line to Mexico, 66 Workers Lose Jobs, More to Possibly Go

Click here for an update from the TRW workers

Recently, the USW Local 958, Southeast Central Area Labor Council and the Minnesota Fair Trade Coalition met up with workers and State Senator Ropes to discuss recent layoffs at the TRW plant in Winona. Sixty-six workers lose jobs and more to possibly go.

Check out the clip from the meeting:

Landmark TRADE Act receives support from MN Representatives Ellison, Peterson, McCollum and Oberstar!

Read on at the Citizens Trade Campaign for all the latest news, letters of support, and information about the bill

Senator Klobuchar has been a leader for progressive, responsible and fair trade. Call her and tell her to support the TRADE Act!

Call her Chief of Staff Lee Sheehy and

Urge her to sign-on to the TRADE Act today!

Office of Senator Klobuchar Phone: 202-224-3244

Senator Klobuchar is a leader for accountable and responsible fair trade. She should co-sponsor the TRADE Act because:

The TRADE Act was co-authored by Senator Sherrod Brown and Congressman Michaud and has received over 65 original co-sponsors including four of her Minnesota Congressional colleagues: Representatives Collin Peterson, Betty McCollum, Keith Ellison and Jim Oberstar.
Senator Klobuchar has been a leader for fair trade in Minnesota. She opposed the Peru Free Trade Agreement, and campaigned on a strong message for fair trade stating, “I will fight to get better trade deals for Minnesota than what we got in the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA)…we need fair trade not just free trade.” The TRADE Act is a step in that direction.
The TRADE Act has received support from over a dozen labor, family farm and environmental organizations including the National Farmers Union, the AFL-CIO, United Steelworkers, the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, UNITE-HERE , the Teamsters, Change to Win, and the Sierra Club.
The Minnesota Fair Trade Coalition has endorsed the Trade Act and has received local support from members from the Minnesota Farmers Union, Minnesota AFL-CIO, United Steelworkers District 11, the Teamsters, UNITE-HERE Local 17, Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy Action, BCTGM Local 167, Witness and many others!
Senator Klobuchar should keep her promise to fight for better trade deals in Minnesota and the TRADE Act will help her in that fight. She should sign-on to the TRADE Act.

Stop ducking on Colombia!

Senator Coleman won't give us a straight answer on his position on Colombia. Call and tell him to stop ducking the issue and oppose the Colombia Free Trade Agreement.

Thank them for their Opposition of the Colombia FTA!

If your Representative includes Betty McCollum, Jim Oberstar, Keith Ellison, or Tim Walz, make sure to thank them for standing up for the rights of Colombian workers and opposing the Colombia Free Trade Agreement. Senator Klobuchar also deserves a big thank you for her opposition of the Colombia deal.