UPDATE:UAW Won't Support Colombia Trade Pact For Big-3 Aid

[Omaha Steve]

http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/articles/djf500/200811111153DOWJONESDJONLINE000413_FORTUNE5.htm

November 11, 2008: 11:53 AM EST

(Updated to add comments from White House in the second paragraph.)

By Josh Mitchell

Of DOW JONES NEWSWIRES

WASHINGTON -(Dow Jones)- The chief lobbyist for the United Auto Workers said Tuesday that the union would strongly oppose any political deal involving the passage of a free-trade agreement with Colombia in exchange for government aid to U.S. auto makers.

Alan Reuther made the comments amid reports Tuesday in the Washington Post and the New York Times that President George W. Bush has indicated he would support aid to the auto industry if Democrats dropped their opposition to a pending Colombia free-trade agreement. White House spokeswoman Dana Perino emphatically denied those reports Tuesday, telling reporters "there was no linkage" between aid to auto makers and the free-trade pact expressed by Bush at a meeting Monday with President-elect Barack Obama.

Bush has long sought passage of the agreement, which Democrats and others have opposed because of concerns about human-rights violations in the country.

Reuther told Dow Jones Newswires that the union wouldn't support such a political deal.

"Colombia had the worst record in terms of murdering trade unionists, and the violence has been continuing," Reuther said. "We don't think we should be doing free-trade deals with countries that are murdering people because they're engaged in union activity."

FULL story at link.