WaPo: Major break seen in labor provisions in Bush/Dem trade bill. “The key to the agreement…was the Bush administration’s reluctant assent to Democratic demands for more stringent labor rules. Under the new policy, enforceable labor provisions will be written into the texts of trade deals to protect the rights of workers abroad to organize unions and bargain collectively, while banning forced labor, child labor and workplace discrimination.” Not clear if this will be enough to convince Dems to favor the US-South Korea FTA, however.
UPDATE: 12 hours later, many questions remain. David Sirota, in TomPaine.com: “March 10 reports indicate that the Democratic leadership secretly agreed to a sub-standard trade pact,” some comparing it to Dick Cheney’s secret energy task force and others demanding a full debate. To read more, click here. Meanwhile, NYT reports that “Despite the endorsement of Rangel and Pelosi, many Democrats say that half or more of the Democrats in Congress may vote against the deal. But the agreement is expected to pass with strong backing among Republicans, whose leaders will urge them to vote with President George W. Bush on the matter.” As Yogi Berra says, it ain’t over ’til it’s over.
