REAGAN'S CARIBBEAN BASIN PLAN

WHEREAS, the Reagan administration has proposed a far-reaching plan to reorder our policies regarding the economic development of the so-called Caribbean Basin; and

WHEREAS, this plan would result in a dramatic reduction and elimination of tariffs for goods imported into the United States from the island nations of that region; and

WHEREAS, the United States already has a huge economic interest in the Caribbean Basin and should view changes in our existing relationships with caution; and

WHEREAS, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico must remain as the focus of U.S. concern in the region. Proposals that favor other nations at the expense of these U.S. Islands should be rejected; and

WHEREAS, preferential tariff arrangements for other countries in the Caribbean Basin must not be established if the effect is to cause even more severe economic problems for Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands:

RESOLVED, that the AFT works against the Reagan Caribbean Basin Plan because it would damage the economies of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands where our union represents thousands of teachers; and

RESOLVED, that the AFT supports proposals designed to help the nations of the Caribbean Basin improve their economies in conjunction with the interests of our members in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.