NAFTA 11 years later - success or failure?

[UdoKier]

Poll question: NAFTA 11 years later - success or failure?

Has NAFTA, on the whole, benefitted or hurt most Americans?

[RawMaterials]

1. All though the peso has gained value against the dollar

so i guess its who you ask.

[tuvor]

2. What, there's free trade in North America?

Someone should tell our softwood lumber industry!

[NEOBuckeye]

3. Hasn't done one damn thing for Ohio

[nolabels]

14. Yea it did, haven't you noticed

It traded a lot of your states jobs away for few dollars

Published on Wednesday, April 11, 2001 in the Toronto Star
Report: NAFTA Largely A Failure for Workers

Notes job loss, lower wages and labour standards in 3 nations
by Linda Diebel

MEXICO CITY - Canadian, American and Mexican workers have lost jobs and seen their spending power erode under a free-trade deal that was promoted as ``win-win-win'' for workers in all three countries, a new economic report says.

``From the point of view of North American working people, NAFTA has thus far largely failed,'' notes the three-country study examining jobs, wages and labour standards after seven years of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).

The report, to be released today, is authored by economic institutes that focus on labour issues: the Centre for Policy Alternatives in Canada, the Economic Policy Institute in the United States and the Mexican Institute of Labour Studies and Investigation.

The report describes stagnant and falling wages and, in Canada and the U.S., an increase in the ``threat effect'' in collective bargaining, in which companies threaten to move production to Mexico if workers don't make concessions. That applies especially in mobile industries such as manufacturing, communications and wholesale distribution.
(snip)
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines01/0411-01.htm

Corporations made out, workers got screwed, sounds familiar, thanks Bill

[UrbScotty]

4. It was one of a few mistakes in an otherwise good Clinton Presidency (nt)

[lonestarnot]

17. And it was a huge mistake...about the only one he made! The BJ just

doesn't count I'm sorry!

[BuyingThyme]

5. Even I hear the sucking sound.

That insane little man got one thing right.

[Dave Reynolds]

8. Yep, my first thought was of Ross Perot.

Crazy little fucker, but he was right.

[jedr]

6. as Lou Dobbs stated some months ago;

it was never meant to be a cheap labor market agrement....it's purpose was to expand markets for goods....it , as everything else ,has been high jacked by the repbubs'

[angryxyouth]

7. Most of my work went to Canada

I'm in the film business. Since Nafta passed, a huge vacuum sucked away commercials, TV and movies to Canada and Mexico. My commercial business dropped 90%. That was more than half of my income. I can't wait to see what happens when they include Central and South America.

[newyawker99]

16. Hi angryxyouth!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[solinvictus]

9. Failure for both the US and Mexico...

We lost jobs to Mexico, they lost jobs to China. To a degree, we're equally screwed.

[Selatius]

11. But the multinational corporations walk away with billions

What was that old saying?

"What's good for GM is good for America"?

[Yupster]

13. GM ain't doing too good

either.

Their debt is about to fall to junk bond status and that will hurt them bad.

[Mr. Flibble]

10. Blocking Canadian drugs and taking their oil as a prerequisite.

(though only if an energy crisis was declared; but how astute of the Followers of Reagan for thinking that, *GASP*, alternative energy was obsolete? :eyes: )

[Yupster]

12. Speak louder...

I can't hear you. There's this giant sucking sound in my ear.

You were right H Ross.

[Elwood P Dowd]

15. Who are the 5 nincompoops who voted it a success?

Probably neoconpoops from freeperland.