Congressional Record United States Th of America PROCEEDINGS and DEBATES of the 112 CONGRESS, FIRST SESSION

E PL UR UM IB N U U S Congressional Record United States th of America PROCEEDINGS AND DEBATES OF THE 112 CONGRESS, FIRST SESSION Vol. 157 WASHINGTON, THURSDAY, MAY 12, 2011 No. 65 House of Representatives The House met at 10 a.m. and was corporate investments in foreign coun- workers are repressed through wide- called to order by the Speaker pro tem- tries and not jobs here at home. At a spread violence and other human rights pore (Mr. GRAVES of Georgia). time when multinational corporations violations. Colombia has earned the f have fired 2.9 million American work- reputation as the most dangerous ers, they will be hiring 2.4 million country on Earth for workers trying to DESIGNATION OF SPEAKER PRO workers overseas. The House will be build a better life. During the last Co- TEMPORE spending time shoring up corporate lombian President’s 8 years in office, The SPEAKER pro tempore laid be- overseas investments rather than en- 570 union members were assassinated— fore the House the following commu- couraging investments here at home. 149 in the last 3 years—and the violence nication from the Speaker: And at a time when so many in the hasn’t stopped with the election of the Middle East are rising up for democ- WASHINGTON, DC, new President. racy and human rights and are receiv- May 12, 2011. Reports of assassinations against I hereby appoint the Honorable TOM ing support from the United States for GRAVES to act as Speaker pro tempore on those efforts, the House is taking up union members and leaders keep com- this day. trade agreements with Colombia that ing. The two most recent ones include JOHN A. BOEHNER, fails to live up to those very values. the April 8 assassination of Ramiro Speaker of the House of Representatives. One of our most important respon- Sanchez. He was shot repeatedly as he f sibilities as elected officials is to pro- left a union meeting. Mr. Sanchez had mote and to protect American jobs. We received death threats after organizing MORNING-HOUR DEBATE do this by trying to ensure that Amer- workers to demand local hiring at an The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursu- ican workers do not face unfair com- oil company. And the March 30 assas- ant to the order of the House of Janu- petition with countries that keep sination of Hector Orozco, who was an ary 5, 2011, the Chair will now recog- wages low by repressing essential official with the peasant farmers’ nize Members from lists submitted by democratic rights. These are important union. He and his colleague Gildardo the majority and minority leaders for rights, the right to speak out, the right Garcia were found murdered. Days ear- morning-hour debate. to protest, the right to organize lier, Mr. Orozco reported that he and unions, the right to bargain collec- The Chair will alternate recognition other peasants were threatened by an tively and directly with their employ- between the parties, with each party army officer. limited to 1 hour and each Member ers, and to support political efforts to On top of the violence is the problem other than the majority and minority improve their economic conditions of impunity. Authorities have only in- leaders and the minority whip limited without reprisals. But reprisals are what you get in vestigated a quarter of the union to 5 minutes each, but in no event shall China. Thousands of strikes last year debate continue beyond 11:50 a.m. killings since 1986. No one has been were met not by their employers but held accountable for 98 percent of the f by the police and the army, beating up crimes against unionists. The violence THE COLOMBIA TRADE on the workers who were seeking bet- and impunity came together in another AGREEMENT ter wages and better working condi- recent case. A few weeks ago, Judge tions in plants all across China. Gloria Gaono was shot in the head in The SPEAKER pro tempore. The What do you get when you protest broad daylight. At the time, she was Chair recognizes the gentleman from your rights in Colombia? You get as- presiding over a politically sensitive California (Mr. GEORGE MILLER) for 5 sassinations. You get death squads case of a military officer accused of minutes. against union members, union leaders, Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. murdering three children, one of whom members of union families all across he apparently admitted to raping. This Congress is entering its fifth the country. The American worker can month without bringing a single jobs compete; but you can’t compete Now Colombia has a new President bill to the House floor, and there are no against the Colombian Army, the Co- who says he wants to turn the page on jobs bills in sight. But we do hear calls lombian death squads, the Chinese Colombia’s past. But these murders for a series of trade agreements, in- Army. That’s not fair competition. But and human rights violations are not cluding ones with Colombia and Korea. that’s what’s protected in these trade the past. They are happening today. At a time when millions of Ameri- agreements. Before we consider any agreement with cans are still looking for work, the Tragically, Colombia stands out as a Colombia on free trade, real changes House will be spending time protecting country where wages are kept low and must come to Colombia. That is why I b This symbol represents the time of day during the House proceedings, e.g., b 1407 is 2:07 p.m. Matter set in this typeface indicates words inserted or appended, rather than spoken, by a Member of the House on the floor. H3223 . VerDate Mar 15 2010 02:05 May 14, 2011 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 7634 Sfmt 0634 E:\RECORD11\RECFILES\H12MY1.REC H12MY1 bjneal on DSK69SOYB1PROD with CONG-REC-ONLINE H3224 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE May 12, 2011 have joined with colleagues to lay out unions. I ask, what about the workers Mr. Speaker, I may be new to Wash- a series of benchmarks that should be in South Carolina who lose out in this ington, but I promise you I was not met by Colombia before the Obama ad- action? Where have their rights been born yesterday. Looking at the NLRB’s ministration sends Congress any trade considered in all of this nonsense? In policy and examining recent electoral agreement with that country. These fact, the National Labor Relations Act maps, it’s not difficult to see a policy benchmarks are designed to reduce the says in section 1 that the purpose of that clearly rewards blue States while violence, to protect human rights, and the NLRA is ‘‘to promote the full flow severely punishing red ones. Under the to end the impunity of the death of commerce, to prescribe the legiti- NLRB’s interpretation of the law, a squads and the army, and the actions mate rights of both employees and em- company with a union workforce an- they take against these families. They ployers in their relations affecting chored in a blue State could not expand require on-the-ground results and veri- commerce, to provide orderly and or relocate to a red State. peaceful procedures for preventing the fication. b 1010 The administration, however, has interference by either with the legiti- adopted an action plan for Colombia mate rights of the other, to protect the Limiting where companies can con- that does not demand the results on rights of individual employees in their duct business sounds like something that would take place in China or the the ground. I appreciate that U.S. and relations with labor organizations old Soviet Union, not here in the Colombia finally are bringing labor whose activities affect commerce, to United States. Since when did America rights into the equation, but their plan define and proscribe practices on the stop being the land of the free? only demands results on paper. Under part of labor and management which Let me give this message to anyone their plan, nothing really needs to ac- affect commerce and are inimical to looking to start a company in America. tually change in Colombia. Colombia the general welfare, and to protect the Choose your location well. If this ac- could have a record year of assassina- rights of the public in connection with tion by NLRB is upheld, trust me when tions and still meet the requirements labor disputes affecting commerce.’’ The NLRB’s ruling comes on the I say that we won’t be talking about of the plan. Indeed, before the action heels of previous threats by this radi- companies making decisions over mov- plan has been fully implemented, the cally out-of-touch panel to sue States ing to a right-to-work state versus a administration is already preparing the like South Carolina for constitu- union state. We will see decisions made way with Congress to implement this tionally protecting one of America’s in the context of locating in America trade agreement. If this action plan most universal freedoms, the right to a or another country. were made fully enforceable under the secret ballot. Fear that the Federal And what this outrageous action by agreement and into the future, we Government might take away that fun- the NLRB tells you is that you’re could have something more than just damental principle prompted voters in stuck with very few options. Give into results on paper. Unless it is enforce- South Carolina, Arizona, South Da- the union’s demands, close up your able, this is less than a serious com- kota, and Utah to overwhelmingly sup- shop, or take your production outside mitment.

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