Democrats plan to throw out S. America trade pacts over labor concerns

By Jesse Russell

Democrats plan to throw out two trade deals with Colombia and Peru due to a lack of tough labor standards. The President was depending on those trade pacts as part of an overall objective to strengthen his bilateral trade agenda with South America. Organized labor, seen as a leading force in the Democrats taken the House and Senate from the Republicans during the Spring Election, has major concerns over Colombia - which is considered one of the world's deadliest country’s for union organizing. More than 1000 union activists have been murdered over the past decade.