[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 155 (Friday, November 7, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2183-E2184]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


             UNITED STATES-CARIBBEAN TRADE PARTNERSHIP ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                           HON. MIKE McINTYRE

                           of north carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, November 4, 1997

  Mr. McINTYRE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to voice my opposition to 
H.R. 2644, the United States-Caribbean Trade Partnership Act. NAFTA 
parity for 24 Caribbean Basin countries will have a disastrous effect 
on the American worker and our domestic textile and apparel industry.
  Since 1994, 250,000 American apparel workers have lost their jobs to 
Mexico and Caribbean nations. The negative effects of prior Caribbean 
trade agreements can be witnessed in the 7th Congressional District of 
North Carolina. Converse, which has the largest domestic shoe plant in 
the United States and is located in my hometown of Lumberton,

[[Page E2184]]

NC., has experienced job loss as a direct result of the terms of the 
Caribbean Basin Initiative. In the 6 years since rubber footwear from 
the Caribbean became duty-free, imports of such products have increased 
from 200,000 pairs a year to 12 million. This increase in unfair 
competition has resulted in a loss of 600 jobs at the Converse plant in 
Lumberton.
  American industries such as Converse that comply with labor laws, 
minimum wage requirements, health codes, and environmental laws cannot 
and should not be expected to compete with foreign industries who pay 
their workers below the cost of living, use child labor, and pollute 
the environment. H.R. 2644 gives foreign competition an unfair 
advantage over America's domestic industries.
  Supporters of H.R. 2644 state that Caribbean nations have been placed 
at a disadvantage by NAFTA and need parity with NAFTA. Yet, the 
countries' imports of apparel to the United States have increased by 63 
percent since they enacted NAFTA. Last year apparel imports from the 
Caribbean totaled $6.1 billion compared with $3.6 billion from Mexico. 
Caribbean countries are not suffering under the terms of NAFTA.
  Developing strong trade relationships are important to America's 
economic future. Yet, our success will depend not on the quantity, but 
the quality of those trade agreements. The agreement before us today is 
neither fair not reciprocal. The bill will open the United States 
market to Caribbean exports, but does not require Caribbean countries 
to open their markets to the United States. This legislation is not a 
trade agreement. It is a foreign subsidy to 24 Caribbean countries--a 
subsidy of jobs at the expense of American workers and their families.
  As the 105th Congress looks for solutions to provide additional 
economic opportunities for our citizens, it is imperative that we not 
lose any more of our current jobs as a result of the Caribbean Basin 
Initiative. I urge my colleagues to stand up for the American worker 
and vote ``no'' on H.R. 2644.

                          ____________________