[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 99 (Tuesday, July 26, 1994)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: July 26, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                SUPPORT FOR THE U.S. LABOR ATTACHE CORPS

                                 ______


                          HON. BERNARD SANDERS

                               of vermont

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, July 26, 1994

  Mr. SANDERS. Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased today to be an original 
cosponsor of a concurrent resolution to affirm strong congressional 
support for the retention and expansion of the U.S. Labor Attache 
Corps.
  The time has come to recognize and applaud the tremendous 
contributions that the U.S. Labor Attache Corps has made since its 
establishment in 1943. Furthermore, I firmly believe that the Corps is 
needed now more than ever given the accelerating integration of the 
global economy.
  Why?
  First, they will provide better understanding of the domestic 
political processes in the host foreign country.
  Probably the most compelling justification for the Labor Attache 
Corps is that the labor attache can provide the U.S. Embassy with a 
broader, more indepth understanding of the political processes of the 
host foreign country. At the founding of the Labor Attache Corps in 
1943, the U.S. State Department specifically recognized that in a 
complex, interdependent, and often dangerous world, U.S. diplomacy 
needed to go beyond the traditional focus of the U.S. Foreign Service 
on senior Governmental and Foreign Ministry officials; it need to 
factor in broader understanding of the political processes, especially 
in friendly democratic societies.
  This logic remains persuasive today. The labor attache can't replace 
U.S. Embassy contacts with senior Government officials and traditional 
elites, but the labor attache can supplement those contacts in very 
unique and important ways and, in so doing, enhance the development of 
the U.S. Embassy's collective understanding and analysis of the host 
country. He or she can provide a crucial ``reality check'' or ``second 
opinion'' for those U.S. Embassy officials who are either unaware or 
would otherwise choose to ignore political currents at the grassroots.
  Second, the U.S. Labor Attache Corps is a vital instrument for 
democratic institution building. The United States has a stated 
national interest in promoting democratic institutions around the 
world. We believe we are safer in a world which shares our democratic 
values regarding the right of all peoples to physical security, a 
decent standard of living, and equal justice for all. Free, independent 
and democratic trade unions are clearly an essential part of free, 
independent, and democratic societies.
  The United States spent trillions of dollars on the cold war. In the 
post-cold war era we must continue to work for the democratic world we 
prize. The U.S. Labor Attache Corps can play a critical role in 
supporting and complementing the efforts of the four AFL-CIO institutes 
and others who are committed to building international respect for the 
fundamental rights of working people everywhere, but especially in 
developing countries and the successor countries of the former Soviet 
Union and Eastern Europe. The stakes are high; the challenges are many; 
and the costs of failure unpredictable. The real question is: Do we 
have the vision and will to give it our best shot?
  Third, the U.S. Labor Attache is invaluable in responding to the 
needs and interests of the U.S. community who are committed to 
promoting respect for internationally-recognized worker rights at home 
and abroad. Just as commercial attaches support and promote the 
interests of the business community and agricultural attaches do the 
same for the farm community, so, too, labor attaches serve the 
comparatively broader interests of all working people. This includes 
developing contacts and exchange activities with the host country's 
organized and unorganized workers, supporting the work of indigenous 
labor rights activists and local representatives of the AFL-CIO 
technical assistance institutes, and assisting the international 
activities of the U.S. Department of Labor.
  This important work also includes political analysis of the disparate 
elements of the indigenous labor movement in the host country and their 
roles in the political processes in addition to an economic analysis of 
that particular labor market and its potential impact on American 
workers.
  A revitalized U.S. Labor Attache Corps with a newly-revised mandate 
will provide great insights and practical guidance in the post-cold war 
era to government, business, and labor leaders everywhere on how to 
better manage global economic integration to the benefit of working 
people.

                          ____________________