CAFTA in one Georgia town

When debate was sizzling last year over the Central American Free Trade Agreement -- passed by a 217-215 vote in the U.S. House a year ago July, with last-minute arm-twisting of North Carolina reps playing a decisive role -- one interesting story is what happened to the companies and towns that stood up for CAFTA on the promise that it would save their jobs.

Even though similar deals had led to huge job losses in textiles, furniture manufacturing, and other key Southern industries, many will still persuaded that for their company and jobs, things would be different.

One town that got behind the "you can only survive by going global" line was Millen, Georgia -- especially the local employer Jockey International. But the bad news came down last month:

Despite assuring local employees just over a year ago that the approval of the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) would secure their jobs, Jockey International announced last week that sewing operations at the Millen facility would be permanently terminated. Approximately 203 workers will lose their jobs to overseas counterparts beginning Sept. 18, with all affected positions to be terminated by Nov. 18.

Jockey's quick exit from Millen has incensed local officials, especially since the company's CEO, Ed Emma, lobbied heavily for CAFTA last year, insisting in May 2005 that "the free trade agreements allow this plant to stay here."

As U.S. Congressman John Barrow (D), who represents Millen in Georgia's 12th District, put it:

This confirms my worse fears about CAFTA, a bill I voted against, because I was concerned it would send even more American jobs overseas. Now just one year after CAFTA passed, Jockey has decided to sell out Georgia families and ship out 203 good paying jobs to Central America and the Caribbean.

(H/T David Sirota)