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Interviews with
Minnesota workers:

Nick Frey is a third generation auto worker who worked for Ford. Nick transferred to the plant in St. Paul after his job was cut at a plant in Michigan, but was laid off in 2007. Read more of Nick's interview here.

Steve Petoletti worked at the Diamond plant in Cloquet almost 10 years before being laid off. He was recalled once, but again laid off. Many wooden products the plant used to make are now being made in China. Read more of Steve's interview here.

Joel Raney worked as an associate publishing specialist at Thomson Reuters in Eagan for just over a year and a half. It was his second time losing a job for trade related reasons. Read more of Joel's interview here.

Sherry Klein lost her position at the TRW Automotive Plant in the summer of 2008 when her job was relocated to Reynosa, Mexico.  Read more of Sherry's interview here.

Wanda Boehmke worked at a manufacturing plant off-and-on since the early 1980s, until it moved to Mexico in 2008. She made parts for Whirlpool refrigerators, Hoover vacuum cleaners and American cars.  Read more of Wanda's interview here.

Mary McCormick made automotive parts for TRW Automotive for three years. The whole time her bosses used the threat of offshoring to get employees to work more for less.  Read more of Mary's interview here.

Trade Stories Project

The Trade Stories Project provides opportunities for people whose livelihoods have been negatively affected by existing trade agreements to actively participate in trade policy debates. In doing so, the project seeks to increase public awareness, participation and accountability surrounding questions of trade policy.

Broad policy objectives shared among the Trade Stories Project's sponsoring organizations include:

• Starting over on  pending trade deals that were negotiated by the Bush administration but not yet approved by Congress;
• Establishing mandatory new criteria for future trade agreements, and renegotiating or scrapping existing deals that do not meet those standards; and
• Increasing transparency, oversight and democratic participation in trade policymaking.

Funding for the Trade Stories Project was provided by the Solidago Foundation, Moriah Foundation and individuals like yourself. Pease support our work by making a donation to the Minnesota Fair Trade Coalition, earmarked "Trade Stories Project."

Share Your Story

Was your job shipped abroad to another country?  Has your livelihood been affected by increased imports? Perhaps trade pacts impacted your family or community in some other way? Sharing your story can help shift the trade policy debate in favor of a fairer model for international trade.

If you've been personally affected by "free trade," we want to hear from you. Please email us at mnftc.intern@gmail.com. 

Related Content

• A Case Story: TRW Case Highlights Problems with Free Trade Policies
• MinnPost Article: Displaced workers share stories, urge change toward fair-trade policies
• Trade Stories Booklet:  Trade Matters: First-Hand Accounts of Why President Obama and Members of Congress Should Keep Their Promises on Trade Policy Reform

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