Retrospect: Workers rallied against NAFTA

Jay Garment Factory workers held a rally and march against the North American Free Trade Agreement 25 years ago this week, nine days before the company began closing its two facilities in Portland and relocating its production to Mexico.

Members of the Union of Needletrades, Industrial and Textile Employees (UNITE) Local 295C marched to Jay County Courthouse and expressed their concerns about NAFTA to state legislators Ron Liggett (D-Redkey), Allie Craycraft (D-Selma), Allen Paul (R-Richmond) and David Ford (R-Hartford City) who were hosting a “Third House Session” sponsored by Portland Area Chamber of Commerce.

Indiana AFL-CIO president Chuck Deppert spoke to the union members, highlighting their belief that the NAFTA agreement created a business climate that made outsourcing jobs a profitable move for corporations.

“Companies sometimes lie,” Deppert said. “This is not about pitting Mexican workers against American workers. Mexican workers did not steal your jobs. It’s the corporate greedy bastards that stole your jobs.”

A labor organizer from Mexico, Martha Ojeda Dominguez, told the workers that Mexican workers were also being exploited.

“We are suffering the same situation,” Dominguez said. “You are losing your jobs, you are losing your benefits. We are living in exploitation. We are living in cardboard houses.”

UNITE workers also demanded that state legislators take action against the state purchase of goods, including uniforms for state employees, from companies that use prison labor.

“If we’re not only competing against workers in Mexico but also slave labor in prisons, this is absolutely wrong and something should be done about it,” said Joe Costigan, a UNITE regional spokesman.

Pen Products, which utilizes prison labor to produce garments, furniture and other goods, still sells its goods to the state of Indiana.