Unlike his predecessor, Congressman Mike Rogers is paying attention to the needs of textiles in the Third Congressional District.
He boldly vows that he will not vote for the Central American Free Trade Agreement unless Avondale Mills pledges its support.
And rightly so. While former Congressman Bob Riley voted along with the Bush administration on federal trade agreements that penalized companies like Avondale, Rogers is saying “no.”
During Riley's tenure, textile mills closed throughout the district. But Rogers says he won't vote for CAFTA in its present form. He has even joined a caucus of representatives and senators who are telling the Republican leadership they won't go along with trade agreements that are not grounded in fair trade.
Free trade and fair trade are not synonymous, they contend.
Too many textile and manufacturing companies have closed their doors because of regulations that favor countries like China that don't have to deal with environmental, salary and safety standards like U.S. companies.
According to Avondale president Stephen Felker, the Bush administration version of CAFTA could be devastating because it allows Asia to channel its textiles through Central America duty free. So its cheaper to use a Chinese company's product than it is to use an American company like Avondale.
So far, Felker said efforts by associates to convince lawmakers of the disparity seem to have fallen on deaf ears. "...we see no evidence that our voices are being considered within our government," he said.
But at least one government official is listening and standing up to his own party leadership because it not only is good for his district, it's good for Alabama and this country as a whole.
Too often the Bush administration wants to push free trade and outsourcing of jobs as good for America. The Third Congressional District knows full well that is simply not the case.
Rogers recognizes that, too. And voters need to remember who played what role in jobs lost when November rolls around.
