Obama renews promise on NAFTA, ‘card check’

ST. PAUL – Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) is using Labor Day to court union members and reiterate his promises to amend a controversial trade pact and sign a labor-backed bill into law.

An internal Obama campaign memo obtained by The Hill notes that Obama supports amending the North American Free Trade Agreement  (NAFTA) “so that we can enforce labor and environmental standards.”

The memo adds, “He’ll work together with the leaders of Canada and Mexico — and he’s confident that he can succeed because amending NAFTA is in the interest of workers in all three countries.”

Obama spent part of Monday in Michigan, a union-heavy swing state. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) will visit there later this week.

In its memo, the Obama campaign states that the Illinois senator “has been a lifelong advocate for unions and has earned the endorsement of nearly every union in the country.”

It also notes that Obama is a cosponsor of the so-called Employee Free Choice Act, which is also called the “card check” bill. The measure would allow workers to join a union when a majority of them sign authorization cards. Industry groups are strongly opposed to the bill, which is a top priority for unions. Republicans and business groups say the bill would compromise a worker’s right to cast a private ballot on whether to join a union.

The Obama memo says “as president, [Obama] will sign it into law, because workers who want to unionize should be able to.”

The memo notes that Obama’s top priority this week is responding to Hurricane Gustav, and reiterates Obama’s decision to “ask his volunteer network and small donor base to mobilize on behalf of the Gulf Coast, whether that means sending donations or traveling down to help with recovery once the storm passes.”