The hidden costs of free trade agreements like NAFTA and CAFTA took a tremendous toll on our country: one million jobs disappeared, countless communities collapsed, and workers’ rights were exploited at home and abroad.

But now President George W. Bush and Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao want another free trade deal - this time with Colombia. The Colombian free trade agreement (FTA) fails to meaningfully address a severe Colombian crisis: union members there are regularly assassinated.

Violence against union members is pervasive in Colombia, and the country’s president has done little to stop the attacks. This year, trade unionists are being murdered at the staggering rate of over one a week, meaning that this year could shape up to be even worst than the last.

Believe it or not, Elaine Chao doesn’t think union member assassinations are a problem. In spite of the ongoing violence, Elaine Chao argues that because fewer union members are being killed than in the worst years, we should implement the trade agreement.

Tell your Members of Congress and Secretary Elaine Chao that you oppose the Colombia free trade agreement.

Together, we can stop this.

We just sent this email to our activists - thank you for everything you’ve done so far. - Michael

Last night marked the end of our $10,000 matching gift opportunity for the Shame on Elaine campaign.

And guess what? We did it.

In just a few weeks we’ve raised over $20,000, collected 25,000 letters (though Elaine Chao wouldn’t let her own employees deliver them), and prompted the media to start asking tough questions.

With this funding, the vast majority of it in small contributions of $15, $25 or $35, we can continue to lay bare the hard facts about Elaine Chao’s mismanagement.

There are still many months left in Elaine’s tenure, but thanks to you, she can no longer sit back and relax.

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This morning we met the challenge ahead of schedule: you helped us raise $10,000 to blow the whistle on Elaine Chao and others who stand in the way of workers’ rights.

So far we’ve raised $10,180 through 235 donations - for an average gift of about $30. And since a generous donor energized by our campaign doubled every donation, you helped us raise over $20,000 for our research, advocacy and outreach efforts. Thank you.

Together we’ll make sure Elaine Chao’s shameful record is known far and wide. But it’s still not too late to double your donation - our offer’s on the table until Monday.

We just sent this message to our activists. We now know that not only is Elaine Chao watching, she doesn’t like what she sees one bit. Though she’s trying to silence the voices of more than 25,000 people, we’re not going to let her get away with it. Contribute today to take our campaign to the next level. - Michael

Yesterday we showed up at the Department of Labor with a special birthday message for Elaine Chao - actually, it was over 25,000 messages - demanding that she quit trampling workers’ rights. But they wouldn’t let us in.

We wanted Elaine’s employees to be the ones to actually deliver your messages to Elaine. But when they tried to put our list of signatures - about the size of a phone book - through the X-ray machine at the Department entrance, they were stopped in their tracks. Why? Elaine’s security staff said they read our website, and we posed a security threat.

Elaine Chao is scared of you, and now she’s trying to hide. We need your help to keep the pressure on her - in the media, in Congress, and in her own department. Give by Monday, and your donation will be doubled!

If you donate $25 today, it’ll be worth $50. Click here to take our campaign to the next level.

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We’re about to head over to the Department of Labor to deliver Elaine Chao her birthday present - between the petition on our site and others we’ve run online, we’ve had more than 25,000 letters to Elaine Chao about her horrific handling of workers’ rights.  We printed out a small stack with the main letter and the names of everyone who signed.

We’re going over with a stack of boxes and letters, and we’ll report back later today with how it went.

In case you haven’t heard, a generous donor energized by our campaign is doubling every donation received by March 31st - up to $10,000!

By rising to this challenge, you can help amplify the voices of courageous employees who have stepped forward. Employees inside her department heard about our campaign and started telling us more about Elaine’s misdeeds. They describe a “destructive” environment at the Department of Labor. Morale is in the pits. Elaine has brought in political cronies and driven out qualified professionals. And they’re putting us on the trail of more shady dealings from Elaine.

So far, more than 30 news outlets and top blogs have covered our campaign. Persistent mainstream media coverage will encourage more whistleblowers to come forward with details. Make a donation right now and help us to:

• Continue researching Elaine’s record and the whistleblower tips we’ve received.
• Promote our campaign to journalists, bloggers, and influential insiders.
• Run thousands of dollars of online ads to influence key decision makers.
• Issue a flood of op-eds, press releases, and letters to the editor.
• Prepare for our in-person signature delivery event at Elaine Chao’s offices in Washington, DC. (We’ve got more than 20,000 letters!)

Double your donation - and help us restore the Department of Labor.

We extended the deadline for our contest to vote for Elaine Chao’s worst until tomorrow, Friday, March 21. When you vote for her top three misdeeds you’ll be entered into our drawing to win some great prizes!

What do you think tops the list? Doling out $258 million in corporate giveaways? Ignoring safety standards and putting workers in danger? Dragging her feet on Congressional investigations into mining disasters?

Since we started this poll, over 7,400 people have voted. That’s on top of more than 20,000 people who have written directly to Elaine.  Your opinion will enable us go out to the media and blogs and expose just how much damage Elaine Chao has done - the stark truth that will make anyone who cares about workers take notice, and take action.

Let us know what you think - and don’t forget to tell your friends, family, and co-workers.

Remember, when you take our poll we’ll enter you to win a $50 gift certificate to Powell’s, the great online bookstore, a copy of the groundbreaking book “Working” by Studs Terkel, and other fun stuff.

Voting ends tomorrow - cast your votes now.

How many workers have to be killed before Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao does her job?

Across the country, factory fires and explosions caused by “combustible dust” are claiming lives. Last month alone more than a dozen workers died, and still Elaine’s department is stalling on regulations to protect workers.

Concerned lawmakers sent Elaine an official letter urging her to take immediate steps to prevent these fires and explosions. Elaine didn’t even respond.

So Congress held a hearing today on a bill that would force Elaine to act. You can learn more about H.R. 5522 at Open Congress. It’s absurd that it has come to this, but we need your help.

Tell your representative to support this bill. We’ll send a copy of your letter to Elaine Chao to make sure she gets the message, too.

»  Take action now!

Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao has certainly disgraced her office. But what’s her worst deed? Is it pushing to cut 8 million workers’ overtime pay? Failing to issue fines for more than 4,000 mine safety violations? Actively campaigning against bipartisan legislation that restores the rights of workers to freely and fairly form unions?

You tell us. Read the full list of nominees and then cast your vote. Once we’ve narrowed our list down to the three “worst of the worst,” we’ll release it to the media and bloggers and expose just how much damage Elaine has done.

Voting ends Friday, March 14, so click here to see the list and vote now.

We did it - we collected 20,000 letters to Elaine Chao.  (Actually, 20,003 as of this minute.)  Thank you to everyone who participated.

We’re going to deliver your letters to Elaine Chao later this month - we’ll announce those details in the near future.