WTO Demonstrations

WTO Demonstrations:
What National Media Didn't Tell You

by Frank Pizzoli

“It was amazing to be there in the middle of the demonstrations and watch how the media portrayed the events,” observed Ike Gittlen, local labor guru who describes his attendance at the World Trade Organization's (WTO) Seattle trade talks as “the best experience like it I've ever had.”

Recently, Seattle witnessed 50,000 demonstrators, mostly nonviolent, bring their points about world trade to the WTO talks, drawing Gittlen to participate. Locally, he represents almost as many rank-and-file workers as there were demonstrators in Seattle. Gittlen is president of central Pennsylvania's 2,400-member United Steelworkers Local 1688 and head of the Central Labor Council with 35,000 members in seven surrounding counties.

WTO is comprised of 135 nations, three-quarters of which are “developing” countries run mainly by dictators or non-democratic regimes in the clutches of multinational corporations. The remaining members are the big gun “developed” nations like the U.S., Britain, Canada, and Western Europe.

Generally, developed nations have strict environmental, minimum wage, child labor, and food safety standards. Developing nations have lax, if any, such standards. And therein sparks the friction.

The WTO can, in effect, by taking a vote of all participating nations, overturn or downgrade the trade standards of an otherwise independent country.

As Gittlen explains, “The U.S. protects turtles by regulating the type of nets which are used. A developing nation might not have such a strict standard. Since there are more ”developing” than “developed” nations in the group, our animal protection regulations can be diluted or overturned.”

Beef is another example Gittlen uses to portray how lopsided WTO rules affect consumer safety. “European beef inspection standards are less stringent than in the U.S. Yet, European countries are allowed, under WTO rules, to stamp their beef products as USDA,” he says.

WTO standards have an effect close to home at PA Steel Technologies, a subsidiary of Bethlehem Steel, where workers make railroad ties. Along comes Norfolk Southern, an American firm, who buys 50 percent of Conrail - and less than five miles away from the local steel plant - installs French-made rails. “WTO rules turn out to be greed-seeking missiles,” Gittlen says, adding that “cheaper isn't always better.”

He points out that the national media didn't do a good job of explaining in detail these types of consequences here in the U. S., “even though they covered the situation from beginning to end with endless hours time available to show something other than the 50,000 demonstrators.”

“There were numerous panel discussions presented by citizens from developing countries who tried to explain in an orderly manner that WTO trade rules actually hurt, not help, a developing nation's economic status,” Gittlen explains.

He cites Mexico as an example.

“From right over the border in Mexico, workers spoke at formal presentations explaining how their standard of living has decreased by 30 percent,” Gittlen said. Instead, “the national media just pointed their cameras and ran endless commentary on a demonstration which had been in the planning stages for more than a year. No analysis, no detail, no attempts to cover all of the events, especially talks by citizens of developing countries who don't think development at any cost is the way to go,” he said.

Gittlen concludes with this bottom line. “Do U.S. citizens want an organization like the WTO, made up of developing countries run by dictators and non-democratic regimes on the puppet strings of corporations calling the shots?”