New Merkley Ad Takes Aim at Unfair Trade Deals

Nearly 70,000 Jobs Lost, Oregon Families Left With No Security...

Jeff Merkley's campaign for U.S. Senate is launching a new television ad that takes aim at unfair trade agreements that have cost Oregon nearly 70,000 jobs. As the son of a millworker and the first in his family to go to college, Jeff Merkley understands how families struggle in hard economic times.

Click below to view the new ad:

"Washington politicians are not listening to Oregon families," said Jeff Merkley. "So-called 'free' trade agreements have cost Oregon families jobs leaving many of them without health care coverage or financial security. We need to make sweeping change in Washington and start creating good-paying American jobs again."

As Speaker, Merkley is on the front lines fighting to create good-paying jobs in Oregon by holding the line on taxes, growing new industry and training workers for the jobs of tomorrow. In the U.S. Senate Jeff Merkley will fight to fix unfair trade agreements and create good-paying American jobs again. Merkley's job plan calls for enforceable labor and environmental standards that will allow American workers to compete on a fair playing field.

Under NAFTA, American jobs are being outsourced to Mexico, where American companies can pay Mexican manufacturing employees just $5 per day. [Associated Press, 6/5/08]

Gordon Smith has long supported unfair trade agreements that ship American jobs overseas.

* Smith supported NAFTA when he was first elected to the U.S. Senate. [The Oregonian, 9/9/96]
* Smith twice voted for the Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA). [Senate vote #170, 6/30/05; Senate vote #209, 7/28/05]
* Smith voted at least twice against measures to create a level playing field for American workers by requiring the president to ensure fair environmental regulations and labor standards. [Senate vote #345, 11/2/99; Senate vote #347, 11/2/99]
* Smith has refused to support efforts to reform trade agreements to ensure enforceable labor and environmental standards. [S. 3083]

Script: Call It

Jeff Merkley:

I'm Jeff Merkley. And I approve this message because Washington is just broken - and it's time to set things right.

Posted September 2, 2008
Press, Spotlight