Union magazines’ coverage of the NAFTA controversy before congressional approval

Congressional consideration of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) in 1993 drew intense labor lobbying. Unions acted to motivate members to contact their representatives and senators, including use of their magazines as advocacy and informational tools. Union magazines, which are littlestudied but potentially influential advocacy tools, attacked the pact and urged readers to take political action. Their coverage focused on jobrelated critiques, especially predictions of a job drain to Mexico and lower wages for U.S. workers. Much less attention went to environmental and other perceived flaws of NAFTA. Language in those articles was frequently more heated than in the mainstream media.