WASHINGTON — U.S. labor union leaders intensified their lobbying campaign Thursday against a landmark trade pact with China, promising to target lawmakers who take part in White House-sponsored missions to Beijing.
Teamsters President James Hoffa and United Steelworkers of America chief George Becker sent letters to 10 members of the House who have signed up for the missions, demanding that they press Chinese authorities to improve human rights and labor standards while in Beijing.
Commerce Secretary William Daley will lead the first congressional delegation to China beginning April 15. Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman will lead the second later in the month. The White House hopes the fact-finding missions will convince undecided lawmakers to support the trade pact.
"Unlike their Chinese hosts who remain accountable only to a powerful communist elite, members of Congress are still accountable to the people they serve," Becker said. "We expect a full report from the delegation when the members return."
The letter was part of organized labor's campaign to scuttle the trade agreement, a crucial piece of Beijing's application to join the World Trade Organization.
Union leaders will step up their campaign on April 12, when they expect 10,000 activists to flood the Capitol to press lawmakers to oppose the pact, which calls for China to open a wide range of markets, from agriculture to telecommunications.
In exchange for market opening by China, Congress must grant Beijing permanent normal trade relations (NTR), the White House says. Beijing now gets normal trade relations only after an annual congressional review.
Senate passage is virtually assured.
But permanent NTR, President Clinton's No. 1 legislative priority for his final year in office, faces stiff opposition in the House from Democrats closely allied with organized labor. They have demanded China improve human rights and labor standards before joining the Geneva-based WTO.
Some supporters of the trade pact say Clinton will have to do more to round up enough Democratic votes to ensure passage in the House.
Republican Sen. Charles Grassley of Iowa, chairman of the Finance subcommittee on trade, said Clinton should address a joint session of Congress on trade with China. "Mr. President, come to Congress. That's where the case has to be made, with the members of your own party," Grassley said.
The Hoffa-Becker letter, which was signed by other activists, was sent to Virginia Republican Herbert Bateman, Wyoming Republican Barbara Cubin, Texas Democrat Ruben Hinojosa, New York Democrat Gregory Meeks, California Democrat Grace Napolitano, Illinois Democrat David Phelps, Mississippi Republican Charles Pickering, North Dakota Democrat Earl Pomeroy, Alabama Republican Bob Riley and Oregon Republican Greg Walden.