LONG BEACH, Calif. – A coalition of labor, environmental and other activists plans to follow Secretary of Commerce William Daley during his visit to Long Beach and Los Angeles today and Friday to protest his advocacy of free trade.
Daley is bringing his trade initiative, “Trade Globally, Prosper Locally: The National Trade Education Tour” to the region, which is the last stop of an eight-month tour to more than 20 cities across the country.
The tour is aimed at educating people in local communities about the importance of trade and how it affects jobs and families.
However, the coalition called the Citizens Trade Campaign wants to make Daley and the public aware that trade agreements should require companies in other countries to follow labor laws and abide by tough environmental standards. The campaign has been following Daley throughout the country.
The campaign members will also be in Seattle at the end of the month to protest the World Trade Organization ministerial meetings.
“The real education that needs to occur is for the Clinton administration to learn what working families already know and that is that free trade at any cost is not good for them and more of the same is only going to be worse,” said Patrick Woodall, spokesman for coalition.
Representatives from Daley’s office could not be reached for comment Wednesday.
Daley will be joined during the two days in the area by several corporate chief executives including Philip Condit, chairman and CEO of Boeing Co.
On Friday, Daley and the delegation will start their day with a trade forum for students at Long Beach Poly High School at 8:30 a.m., followed at 10:30 a.m. by a tour of the Port of Long Beach and a scheduled meeting with longshore workers at the Hanjin Terminal. At noon Daley will attend a luncheon hosted by several trade groups at the West Coast Long Beach Hotel.
Art Wong, Port of Long Beach spokesman, said Daley hopes to meet with longshore workers at Hanjin, but since the ILWU has endorsed the campaign he may change his plans.
