Hillary Clinton fields questions about the Clinton administration’s stance on labor, particularly with regards to its support of NAFTA. The First Lady, who recently met with members of UNITE (Union of Needle Trades, Industrial and Textile Employees), says that she is confident that American workers can remain competitive in the global market. Jay Mazur, President of UNITE, disagrees with the administration on NAFTA, but sees eye-to-eye with the Clinton Aministration on several other issues such as minimum wage, OSHA, enforcing labor laws, etc. Although presidential candidate Pat Buchanon has run on an anti-NAFTA platform and presented himself as a pro-worker candidate, Mazur considers him an opportunist demagogue exploiting the sensitivities of the working class.
Co-host Juan Gonzalez takes issue with Hillary Clinton’s statement that NAFTA has “proven its worth”, pointing out that, contrary to the administration’s promises, thus far under NAFTA more American jobs have been lost than gained, and Gonzalez feels that labor unions should hold the Clinton administration accountable for this.