President Gerard says threats are no coincidence following FTA approval

Leo W. Gerard, International President of the United Steelworkers, today released an emergency alert transmitted to Hillary Clinton, U.S. Secretary of State, disclosing elevated death threats against labor leaders in Colombia.

The USW advised the assassination threats were confirmed by the Confederation of Workers (CUT), Colombia’s largest labor federation, in a communiqué issued by the militant right-wing paramilitary group known as ‘The Black Eagles.’ Gerard disclosed that the communiqué announced Colombian union leaders are now their “next military objective” and they would bring “war, blood and fire to their doorstep.”

According to Gerard, the threats were contained in a document delivered directly to CUT offices in Bogota at 4:00 pm, Oct. 17. “It is the CUT’s opinion, and ours as well, that it is not a coincidence that such a threat was made upon the Congress approving the Colombia FTA – that the paramilitaries now feel emboldened by this passage to wage war against the Colombian labor movement ... more