May 20, 2007

(Beijing) – International Brotherhood of Teamsters General President Jim Hoffa today called on the U.S. and Chinese governments to include labor rights in the economic dialogues that are scheduled to continue in Washington this week.

“I do not understand how our two nations can claim to hold an economic dialogue without the inclusion of worker rights and labor issues,” Hoffa said. “Right now, the trade imbalance is in the favor of large transnational U.S., Chinese, and other corporations. The perspectives and interests of working people are not represented at these talks.”

Both the U.S. and Chinese labor movements are advocating for legislation at this very moment that would improve the lives of working people. Hoffa and the Teamsters Union have been a leader in the fight for the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA), which has passed the House of Representatives and faces a threatened veto from President George Bush.  Meanwhile, the All-China Federation of Trade Unions (ACFTU) has been promoting the new Contract Labor Law in China, which is expected to become law in the near future, despite efforts by some American corporations operating in China.

Hoffa, International Vice President and Port Division Director Chuck Mack and International Vice President John Coli are part of a 10-day Change to Win fact-finding mission and have previously met with activists, workers, employers and labor leaders in Hong Kong and Shanghai. On Sunday, the delegation toured the new Shanghai deep-water port and discussed worker issues with the head of the port workers’ union.

While in Beijing, the delegation will meet with representatives from the ACFTU and the American Chamber of Commerce.

“We are listening and learning,” Hoffa said. “It has become abundantly clear that in order to secure the economic future of working Americans, we must work with our Chinese counterparts to improve worker standards in China, and work to ensure that our respective governments reflect the interests and needs of working people, not just profit-driven corporations.

“While we are establishing links with Chinese workers on our trip, we will also alert U.S.-based companies, including some of our employers, that we expect them to set a positive example in China in their treatment of workers,” Hoffa said.