For those who are unfamiliar, the AGOA is a part of U.S. legislation and significantly liberalizes market access to the US for 37 designated Sub-Saharan African countries. This acts as a catalyst for economic growth by encouraging governments to open their economies and build free markets. US Congress passed AGOA as part of the Trade and Development Act of 2000, and President Bill Clinton signed it into law May 18, 2000. In August 2002, President George W. Bush signed amendments to AGOA that expanded preferential access for eligible sub-Saharan African counties.

Extraction predominantly involves
the Third World. Resources are stolen from
people who live on resource-rich land. Once these people are left with no value they are then
exploited. This is why extraction has become synonymous with exploitation.
Along with the millions of adults forced into labor in extractive industries, millions of children all
over the world are forced into child labor. 

Workers at the factory have faced discrimination, intimidation and firings due to their union affiliation. On numerous occasions, the management has forced workers to choose between their jobs and participating in a union. Starting in August 2008, members of the union TEKSIF held a six-month protest outside the gates of the factory. Still, the company has refused to dialogue with the union and continues to intimidate workers. Eight former workers are currently in court, charging that they were wrongfully dismissed for their union activity.

I just returned from a tour with Amanda Camacho, a cut-flower worker and president of her union at Papagayo Farms in Colombia, who was touring the country to expose the abusive working conditions prevalent in the cut-flower industry. She participated on a panel organized by the ILRF and UFCW Local 1500 in New  York called "Farm to Grocery Store: Workers in Global Supply Chains Unite!" Workers from around the world, shared common stories of labor abuses and violations of the right to organize unions.