U.S. labor OKs pact in China

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BEIJING (AP) -- A U.S. labor federation has agreed to find ways to cooperate with China's state-controlled union group, officials said yesterday, in the hope that improved standards for Chinese laborers will help protect American workers.

The tentative cooperation, agreed to by Teamsters President James Hoffa and other leaders of the Change to Win federation of unions on a landmark trip to China, is an about-face. For decades, American labor has generally shunned the All-China Federation of Trade Unions (ACFTU) because it answers to the ruling Communist Party.

"This new direction that we're taking is propelled by the new challenges we face in a new world economy," Greg Tarpinian, executive director of Change to Win, told reporters. "Our mission is to fight for the American Dream and we don't believe we can fight for the American Dream and restore the American middle class without linking up with Chinese workers."

Anna Burger, chairwoman of Change to Win, would not call the cooperation with ACFTU a "formal" relationship but said the two groups shared the same mission of eliminating sweatshop conditions, stopping exploitation of workers and helping raise wages. She said the groups would exchange ideas but was not more specific, saying they had only begun talks on how to work together.

The labor leaders' comments came as Chinese and American officials were to begin high-level discussions in Washington aimed at lessening economic tensions. Beijing said it was trying to narrow the trade gap and pledged to import more U.S. goods.

Mr. Hoffa said unionizing companies in China would raise the cost of doing business there, which would help American workers stay competitive.

"It's certainly in our interest to see that the workers [in China] have a higher standard of living, that the manufacturers pay a better wage and, as they do that, that obviously has an affect on American workers and the competitiveness of the two economies," he said.

Change to Win, which represents seven unions and 6 million workers, has invited ACFTU officials to visit the U.S. in the next couple of months, and the U.S. labor leaders want to return to China before the fall.

Confronted with the steady loss of U.S. jobs to factories in China and elsewhere overseas, American unions have criticized China for its working conditions.

One of the largest union groups, the AFL-CIO, has called for trade sanctions against China for perceived violations of international labor standards. The union has said that U.S. companies have moved to China to take advantage of rock-bottom wages, forced overtime and a lack of benefits for Chinese workers, causing the loss of more than 1 million U.S. jobs.