--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When [Bill] Clinton came along, it sort…" description: "\"When [Bill] Clinton came along, it sort of moderated a little bit, but Clinton had a different device for breaking unions called NAFTA [North America F..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/82f/noam-chomsky-42_agreement_when-bill-clinton-came-along-it-sort-of_445300.jpg" --- # When \[Bill\] Clinton came along, it sort of moderated a… ![“When [Bill] Clinton came along, it sort of moderated a little bit, but Clinton had a different device for breaking unions called NAFTA [North America Free Trade Agreement]. Because the government was entirely lawless, employers could exploit NAFTA to threaten union organizers with transfer. It's…” quote by Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/82f/noam-chomsky-42_agreement_when-bill-clinton-came-along-it-sort-of_445300.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/82f/noam-chomsky-42_agreement_when-bill-clinton-came-along-it-sort-of_445300.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/82f/noam-chomsky-42_agreement_when-bill-clinton-came-along-it-sort-of_445300.jpg) > “When \[Bill\] Clinton came along, it sort of moderated a little bit, but Clinton had a different device for breaking unions called NAFTA \[North America Free Trade Agreement\]. Because the government was entirely lawless, employers could exploit NAFTA to threaten union organizers with transfer. It's illegal, but when you've got a lawless government, it doesn't matter if it's illegal. I think the number of union drives blocked increased by about 50 percent.” [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Chomsky argues that NAFTA was used as a tool to weaken unions, exploiting legal loopholes in a government lacking enforcement, leading to a significant rise in blocked union drives. **In simple terms:** NAFTA weakened unions by exploiting legal gaps, increasing blocked drives. Key Takeaway Beware of trade agreements that erode workers’ rights. Themes labor economics politics law power Mood critical concerned analytical Type political economical When to use this quote - labor organizing - policy advocacy - legal reform - corporate accountability Key Concepts Trade policy union rights government accountability Questions to Reflect On - What safeguards can protect unions in trade agreements? - How can workers mobilize against such legal loopholes? A Different Perspective It may simplify complex economic impacts to a single cause. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Agreement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/agreement/) [America](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/america/) [Bills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bills/) [Bits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bits/) [Blocked](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blocked/) [Breaking Unions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/breaking-unions-891749/) [Called Nafta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/called-nafta-3896811/) [China](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/china/) [Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clinton/) [Devices](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/devices/) [Different](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/different/) [Employers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/employers/) [Exploit Nafta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exploit-nafta-3896812/) [Exploits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exploits/) [Free trade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/free-trade/) [Government](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/government/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Illegal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/illegal/) [Little bit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/little-bit/) [Littles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/littles/) [Matter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/matter/) [NAFTA](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nafta/) [Nafta Threaten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nafta-threaten-3896813/) [North america](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/north-america/) [Numbers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/numbers/) [Organizer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/organizer/) [Percent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/percent/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Trade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trade/) [Trade agreements](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trade-agreements/) [Transfers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/transfers/) [Unions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unions/) ## Related quotes > [Today in America, unions have a secure place in our industrial life. Only a handful of reactionaries harbor the ugly thought of breaking unions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-d-eisenhower/today-in-america-unions-have-a-secure-place-in-our-industrial-life/) [Dwight D. Eisenhower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-d-eisenhower/) > [I do think there would be a receptivity to somebody who campaigned in a straightforward, cohesive way, supporting an increase in the minimum wage,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russ-feingold/i-do-think-there-would-be-a-receptivity-to-somebody-who-campaigned-in/) [Russ Feingold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russ-feingold/) > [Donald Trump has been rejecting the idea of trade agreements like NAFTA, like the Trans-Pacific Partnership.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audie-cornish/donald-trump-has-been-rejecting-the-idea-of-trade-agreements-like/) [Audie Cornish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audie-cornish/) > [ In all fairness to Secretary \[Hillary\] Clinton, when she started talking about this, it was really very recently. 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He'll…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/avik-roy/this-rhetoric-that-donald-trump-is-used-is-very-consistent-with/) [Avik Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/avik-roy/) > [The Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement is a continuation of other disastrous trade agreements, like NAFTA, CAFTA, and permanent normal trade relations with China.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-sanders/the-trans-pacific-partnership-trade-agreement-is-a-continuation-of/) [Bernie Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-sanders/) > [The message is NAFTA (the North American Free Trade Agreement) is there. NAFTA has helped both our countries enormously. We live up to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-mclellan/the-message-is-nafta-the-north-american-free-trade-agreement-is-there/) [Anne McLellan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-mclellan/) > [I would like to believe that TPP will lead to more exports and jobs for the American people. 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