President Obama has approved Colombia's labor protection standards, allowing the U.S.-Colombia Free Trade Agreement to go into effect. The President said that the agreement would create jobs in the US, and be good for both sides. The AFL-CIO opposed the agreement, saying that the labor standards agreed to are not good enough, pointing to the violence against union leaders and activists in Colombia. Around 3,000 labor activists are thought to have been killed in Colombia since 1986, with at least 30 deaths in the last year.The US says that it will help Colombia implement stronger protections regarding labor.
See "Obama Certifies Colombia Labor Plan, Clearing Trade Pact", Roger Runningen and Kate Andersen Brower, Business Week, April 16, 2012