Coalition sends Obama letter urging to keep pressure on Colombia regarding violence against union workers

On Wednesday, the leaders of the largest coalition of American labor unions sent a letter to President Barack Obama urging him to maintain pressure on the Colombian government to end the rampant violence against union workers in the South American nation.

Saturday marks the one-year anniversary of the signing of a Labor Action Plan between the two nations, an accord which helped Obama garner votes from congressional Democrats and that enabled the passage of a free-trade agreement with Colombia last fall. The AFL-CIO has long been critical of the trade pact, which originally was negotiated by former President George W. Bush, on the grounds that the Colombian government does not have the capacity to enforce protections for workers. Read Article