By Richard Rogers and Marjorie Decker

Cambridge - We are in a recession, and all signs indicate things will only get worse. So what does President Bush insist upon? A "free trade agreement" with a country notorious for rampant human rights and workers' rights abuses.

Never mind that the Bush trade agenda contributed to a trade deficit of $712 billion in 2007. Never mind the loss of three million U.S. manufacturing jobs during the Bush presidency. Never mind that we are losing ground in advanced technology products, autos, even aerospace.

But the Colombia free trade agreement is about more than the failed policies of the past. The issue is murder - the cold-blooded murder of 39 trade unionists in Colombia last year alone, 17 already this year. The killings are often brutal, meant to intimidate the entire citizenry. Thirty stab wounds. An acid-drenched face.

These unionists were killed for having the temerity to speak up for economic freedom and for pursuing decent wages and benefits to overcome the persistent poverty that faces 55 percent of Colombia's people.

In Colombia, joining a union or advocating for workers' rights can be a de facto death sentence. Under these conditions, workers cannot share in the potential benefits of trade liberalization, regardless of any protections on paper.

The Colombian government has spent well over a million dollars to convince Congress that it is doing all it can to bring the perpetrators of these crimes to justice. But the Office of the Attorney General of Colombia reported earlier this year that it has secured convictions in only 68 cases related to violence against trade unionists since 1986 - a rate of impunity of over 97 percent. Even more alarming, just over half of those sentenced are actually in custody.

Worse, the president and his top advisors continue to accuse workers falsely of linkages to insurgent groups, essentially painting a bulls-eye on workers' foreheads.

Aside from the grisly violence, reports from respected international organizations such as the U.N.'s International Labor Organization (ILO) show that the laws of Colombia fall far short of core workers' rights, considered a minimum set of rights to be guaranteed by all countries regardless of level of development. The Colombian government has systematically failed to enforce even those laws.

On the campaign trail today, trade and, more generally, globalization are hot button issues.

Globalization is here to stay. What we need to decide is how it will impact ordinary people around the world. The test of trade should not be how much profit it generates. Trade should lift workers out of poverty and strengthen democracy. It should take place with countries that have the capacity to enforce human rights and environmental standards.

All too often, the benefits of corporate-driven trade have gone to a wealthy few, often at the expense of working people. Without enforceable protections of workers' rights and the environment, that is the predictable consequence.

In Colombia, the murder of trade unionists is targeted and widespread. The rule of law is not enforced. Why should we expect the enforcement of a trade agreement to be any different?

That is why the AFL-CIO, together with our Colombian union counterparts, is opposing President Bush's Colombia free trade agreement. If we are serious about protecting workers' rights, we cannot ignore targeted murders and a climate of terror for unionists. Trade will not benefit working people who fear for their lives if they speak out for their rights at work.

The decision by Speaker Pelosi to put off the vote until the urgent economic needs of working families everywhere can be addressed was spot on. Working people in Greater Boston expect our representatives in Congress to hold the line on bad trade deals, even those advanced aggressively by the Bush administration. We will demand no less.

Richard M. Rogers is the executive secretary-treasurer of the Greater Boston Labor Council and Marjorie C. Decker is a Cambridge city councilor.