From AP:
The AFL-CIO and two members of Congress asked the Bush administration Thursday to pursue trade sanctions against China, accusing the Chinese of violating international labor standards and costing 1.24 million American jobs.
The group alleged that China’s labor practices violate U.S. trade law , which makes repression of workers’ rights a violation that would be subject to economic sanctions if the U.S. wins a case on the issue before the World Trade Organization .
The petition was an effort to turn up the heat on the administration in an election year over record trade deficits with China, which hit an all-time high of $202 billion last year.