WASHINGTON  -- The following is a statement from Ford President and CEO Alan Mulally on the U.S.-Korea Free Trade Agreement announcement made on Friday, Dec. 3, 2010:

“As a global company committed to free trade, Ford Motor Company applauds the outlines of the revised U.S.-Korea Free Trade Agreement that were announced today.  President Barack Obama and U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk vigorously advocated the important principle of two-way trade, and the resulting agreement provides greater clarity and transparency by affirmatively addressing the issues surrounding non-tariff and tariff barriers.  These new provisions provide Ford greater confidence that we will be able to better serve our Korean customers.  We deeply appreciate the tireless efforts of the Obama Administration and Congress to improve this agreement and open the Korean auto market.”   

UAW Statement on the Proposed U.S.-Korea Free Trade Agreement
The UAW joins Congressman Sander Levin in his statement that “The changes announced to the U.S. – Korea Free Trade Agreement (FTA) today are a dramatic step toward changing from a one-way street to a two-way street for trade between the U.S. and South Korea. These changes represent an important opportunity to break open the Korean market for U.S. businesses and workers and boost American manufacturing jobs, particularly in the automotive sector.”

President Obama, Vice President Biden and their administration gave the labor movement, and particularly the UAW, an opportunity to be part of the discussions about this agreement. Working in collaboration with the Obama Administration, Congressman Levin, Congressman Dave Camp, and top management from the auto companies, especially Alan Mulally of Ford, we believe an agreement was achieved that will protect current American auto jobs, that will grow more American auto jobs, that includes labor and environmental commitments, and that has important enforcement mechanisms.

Under the 2007 proposed agreement, almost 90% of Korea’s auto exports to the United States would have received immediate duty-free access on the day the FTA entered into force. Under the current proposed agreement, duty elimination is now delayed until year five of the agreement, giving U.S. automakers the time to reverse the damage caused by decades of South Korean protectionism. Also with this agreement, cuts in the U.S. 25% truck tariff are substantially delayed until year eight of the agreement and then are phased in though year ten of the agreement. Under the 2007 proposed agreement, truck tariffs were cut immediately from the day the FTA entered into force.

This agreement is an important step toward a global rule-based trade system, an important step in giving labor a real voice in trade negotiations. We look forward to working with the Obama Administration on the issue of global rights for workers -- especially the right to organize and bargain collectively.

The White House Press Release: Statements of Support for the U.S-Korea Trade Agreement
Click here to see statements of support for the U.S.-Korea Trade Agreement from various elected officials, the business community, and advocacy groups.