FTA paves way for S'poreans to work in the US

Date: Monday, July 21, 2003 2:56 AM

JOB DESTRUCTION NEWSLETTER

www.ZaZona.com

As this article says, "LAST-MINUTE additions to the US-Singapore Free
Trade Agreement (USSFTA) will open thousands of jobs in America to
young professionals from the Republic." It fails to mention the fact
that in addition to the 5,400 visas, Singapore will be able to send
unlimited numbers of workers to the US.

Here are some other features that Singapore really likes about this
FTA:

* H-1B visas can also be extended indefinitely. That means that once
somebody comes from Singapore to take a job, they can stay in the US
forever if they want to.

* US employers, who want to apply for a work visa for Singaporeans, no
longer have to prove that the job cannot be performed by an American.
This is a dream come true for profit hungry US corporations because
they don't have to pretend anymore.

Now you might be wondering how bad this can really get. George W. Bush
gave was nice enough to give us some clues on his website. He made it
very clear that this FTA would be used as a blueprint for many more to
come. Here is what he has to say about Singapore:

"Singapore has signed or is currently working on free trade
agreements with Japan, Canada, Australia, Mexico, and India.

For those of you that understand the theories about the quantum
formation of black holes and wormholes you probably understand why the
metaphor is so applicable. Singapore will be the black hole and its
immense gravity will pull people into a wormhole that ends at the
United States.

For those of you that aren't into science fiction let's just say that
residents of countries that have FTAs with Singapore might be able to
enter there to work. From Singapore it could be easy for them to come
into U.S. to work because it's highly unlikely that the US would be
able to control or monitor Singapore's borders. Simply put, there is a
danger that this FTA with Singapore will allow unlimited numbers of
nonimmigrants from countries to come to the U.S. to work and its
unlikely that the U.S. could regulate the inflow.

The public hasn't scrutinized this agreement so there may be even worse
revelations to come. Bush claims that this FTA secures "a level playing
field for Americas workers" but he never explains why except with a
vague threat that we would somehow be at a "competitive disadvantage."
Bush is celebrating "Christmas in July" by giving a huge present to his
inner circle of power brokers and CEOs while shafting working
Americans.

http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/topstories/story/0,4386,200410,00.html?

JULY 19, 2003
FTA paves way for more S'poreans to work in the US

Under the pact, 5,400 new visas a year will be offered to talented
individuals; their stay can be extended indefinitely

By Sherwin Loh

LAST-MINUTE additions to the US-Singapore Free Trade Agreement (USSFTA)
will open thousands of jobs in America to young professionals from the
Republic.

They will be able to do so as, under the pact, the US is offering
Singaporeans 5,400 new visas a year to talented individuals who want to
work in that country.

The H-1B visas can also be extended indefinitely.

The special visa programme also means that US employers, who want to
apply for a work visa for Singaporeans, no longer have to prove that
the job cannot be performed by an American.

Currently, these work visas have a five-year limit and are issued only
to workers in 'specialty occupations', such as scientists and
architects.

Professor Tommy Koh, Singapore's chief negotiator in the agreement,
explained: 'For example, if they are short of people in the IT
industry, they can go to the US' Immigration and Naturalisation Service
and say there are not enough IT personnel.

'We need to employ this person and maybe 1,000 more IT personnel from
Singapore.'

He talked about the new scheme and its benefits when he addressed more
than 200 guests at a fund-raising lunch for The Salvation Army, at the
Fullerton Hotel, on The Perils And Pleasures Of Negotiating With The
United States.

When he was told about what was in store, IT consultant Marcus Yong,
29, said: 'Good, it'll provide me with greater exposure in terms of
career development.'

Business studies graduate Derrick Thio, 24, cannot wait for the pact to
be passed by Congress as he has been trying to get a job in the US for
the last four months. He said: 'In the US, employers judge you on your
ambitions and what you can do for the company. If I go there, I'd have
an edge because I can speak a second language.'

However, the visa offer has also angered some members of the US
Senate's judiciary committee, who claim this move will take jobs away
from equally qualified Americans.

Their unhappiness could pose a temporary obstacle to the agreement's
early passage through the Senate, said Prof Koh. But with luck, he
said, the USSFTA is very likely to be approved by the House of
Representatives by July 24.

He said his team covered all the bases from the beginning of the talks
on the FTA, negotiating concurrently with several branches of the US
government.

'We ran a parallel track of talking to our friends in the United States
Senate, its House of Representatives and the relevant committees that
have jurisdiction over the passage of our agreement, to keep them
informed, to listen deeply to their concerns and to try to take care of
their concerns, so the USSFTA wouldn't face problems in the approval
process.'

During his 25-minute talk, he also shed more light on the chewing gum
issue with American gum maker, Wrigley, which he stated, was never a
trade issue.

Because the company is afraid that emerging markets, like China, would
ban the sale of chewing gum like Singapore, the Chicago-based company
approached its district congressman, Mr Phil Crane, for help with
overturning the ban.

Mr Crane, whom Prof Koh called a good friend of Singapore, is also the
chairman of the US Sub-committee of Trade, which handles negotiations
on trade agreements. 'I knew we had to come with a compromise with
Wrigley... because the bottom line is, I must have Phil Crane on my
side,' he said.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2003/07/20030715-8.html

Message to the Congress of the United States

TO THE CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES:

I am pleased to transmit legislation and supporting documents to
implement the United States-Singapore Free Trade Agreement (FTA). The
Agreement will further open Singapore's markets and increase
competition and consumer choice. This is America's first FTA with an
Asian-Pacific nation, and we hope it will serve as a benchmark for
future free trade agreements with other nations in the region. The
Agreement will enhance prosperity in the United States and Singapore,
serve the interest of expanding U.S. commerce, and advance our overall
national interest.

My Administration is strongly committed to securing a level playing
field for Americas workers, farmers, and businesses. The Congress
helped advance that policy by passing Trade Promotion Authority in the
Trade Act of 2002 (the "Trade Act"). The Congress can help us take
another important step by approving this Agreement and the implementing
legislation. Without this Agreement, U.S. workers and businesses could
be placed at a competitive disadvantage, because Singapore has signed
or is currently working on free trade agreements with Japan, Canada,
Australia, Mexico, and India.

In negotiating this FTA, my Administration was guided by the
negotiating objectives set out in the Trade Act. The Agreement locks in
tariff-free access for all U.S. goods, including textile and
agriculture products, and addresses other barriers to trade. It opens
opportunities for our services businesses, which now account for nearly
65 percent of our gross domestic product and more than 80 percent of
employment in the United States. Through this FTA, Singapore will grant
substantial additional market access to U.S. firms across a broad
spectrum of services, including banking, insurance, securities and
related financial services, express delivery services, professional
services, and tele-communications. The Agreement also incorporates
commitments on regulatory transparency that will be of special help to
services business.

This Agreement provides state-of-the-art intellectual property
protection, including significant commitments on trade in digital
products. It ensures that electronic commerce will stay free of duties
and discriminatory rules. In addition, Singapore will accede to
international treaties dealing with copyright and access issues for the
Internet.

United States citizens and businesses that invest in Singapore will
have significant increased protections. This Agreement enhances
transparency and openness in order to foster a more secure environ-ment
for trade and investment. Furthermore, Singapore will provide U.S.
investors with important substantive protections that Singaporean
investors already enjoy in the United States.

Singapore and the United States have also agreed to cooperate on the
environment and labor issues and to establish mechanisms to support
those efforts. The FTA obligates each country to enforce

its own labor and environmental laws and makes clear that domestic
labor or environmental protections may not be reduced in order to
encourage trade or investment. The Agreement also preserves our right
to pursue other legitimate domestic objectives, including the
protection of health and safety, consumer interests, and national
security.

Trade and openness contribute to development, the rule of law, economic
growth, and international cooperation. Singapore is a close partner of
the United States, and this Agreement will strengthen those ties.

With the approval of this Agreement and passage of the implementing
legislation by the Congress, we will advance U.S. economic, security,
and political interests, while encouraging others to work with us to
expand free trade around the world.

GEORGE W. BUSH

THE WHITE HOUSE,

July 15, 2003.

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Rob Sanchez is board member of NAEA - www.NAEA.US

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