Nafta Pro: A Trade Bonanza

This summer has been a tough time for business backers of the North American Free Trade Agreement. Corporate America is united, and its war chest is filled. It's armed with convincing statistics showing that the trade deal with Canada and Mexico will be a boon for U.S. exports and high-paying American jobs. Yet the campaign has made little headway against the lurid warnings of opponents--from Ross Perot to Jesse Jackson--that NAFTA will cause a massive flight of U.S. jobs to a land of cheap labor and lax pollution controls.

Virtually every study supports the pro-NAFTA claims that the accord will be a net economic plus for the U.S. But business has a credibility problem. "Too many Americans see us as greedy `suits,' and if we're selling something, it must be bad for the average guy," complains one top business lobbyist. "We can't win this by ourselves."