Friends of the Earth have released the following statement regarding President Obama’s NAFTA-Style South Korean Free Trade Agreement:

President Obama Promotes Damaging Bush-era Trade Deal

As President Obama well knew when he was on the campaign trail, NAFTA has been devastating to our workforce. Over 5.6 additional American jobs could have been supported had NAFTA and the WTO not led to increased trade deficits. With 15.1 million people currently unemployed in the United States, it is insane to extend the same NAFTA privileges to Korea that have already ransacked America’s manufacturing sector and our labor force.

I asked Ryan Grim if Leo Gerard’s comment that “some people feel they’re smart enough to make decisions based on rumors” was directed at the UAW’s Bob King.

“Definitely,” he said.

President Obama’s NAFTA-style Korea Free Trade will still cost the country 159,000 jobs, despite last-minute changes to the agreement.

US Chamber Watch, an advocacy group originally launched by the Change to Win labor federation, issued a statement blasting the supporters of the NAFTA-style Korea Free Trade agreement as “outsourcers all.”

Mike Michaud: “When it comes to this deal, I will work with allies on Capitol Hill to do whatever I can to defeat it. We need to finally live up to what the American people have been demanding for years – a substantial departure from the past, not a continuation of its mistakes.”

Sherrod Brown: “”I continue to believe it is a dangerous mistake to pursue the same kind of trade deals that ballooned our deficit and led to massive job loss. We simply cannot keep barking up this tree as American companies fold and American workers face prolonged unemployment. Until we address China’s manipulation and make decisions to reduce our trade deficit, I see no reason to pursue more NAFTA-style free trade agreements.”