President Obama spoke to the AFL-CIO national convention in Pittsburgh this afternoon. In introducing him, the union’s president, John Sweeney, hailed the Administration’s trade sanctions against Chinese tire imports, receiving a rousing cheer.

Unfortunately, the President did not say a single word about trade policy in his remarks. As we noted below, President Obama highlighted the economic value of trade in his speech yesterday in New York City, declaring his Administration’s commitment to pursuing new trade agreements. The seriousness of that commitment would have reinforced if the President had repeated the same comments to the labor crowd today.

As for card check, here’s what he said:

We’ll grow our middle class by building a strong labor movement. That’s why I named Hilda Solis, the daughter of union members, as our new Labor Secretary. Hilda and I know that whether we’re in good economic times or bad, labor is not the problem — labor is part of the solution.

That’s why we’ve begun reversing and replacing old anti-labor Executive Orders and policies with ones that protect your benefits; protect your safety; and protect your rights to organizing and collective bargaining. That’s why the very first bill I signed into law was the Lilly Ledbetter Act to uphold the basic principle of equal pay for equal work. And that’s why I stand behind the Employee Free Choice Act — because if a majority of workers want a union, they should get a union.

Then he moved on to the next topic. The statement elicited a huge cheer, but …well, one sentence for EFCA?

From the President’s speech yesterday in New York City on financial regulation:

A healthy economy in the 21st century also depends on our ability to buy and sell goods in markets across the globe. And make no mistake, this administration is committed to pursuing expanded trade and new trade agreements. It is absolutely essential to our economic future. And each time that we have met — at the G20 and the G8 — we have reaffirmed the need to fight against protectionism. But no trading system will work if we fail to enforce our trade agreements, those that have already been signed. So when — as happened this weekend — we invoke provisions of existing agreements, we do so not to be provocative or to promote self-defeating protectionism, we do so because enforcing trade agreements is part and parcel of maintaining an open and free trading system.

Our emphasis. And agreed on trade’s importance to the U.S. economy. But statements and speeches are not sufficient evidence of a commitment. How about actually putting some political muscle behind Congressional enactment of the Colombia and Panama free trade agreements? Steny Hoyer will be with you.

And we anxiously await the President reaffirming his Administration’s commitment to trade when he speaks to the AFL-CIO today in Pittsburgh. We suggest this language: “It is time for Congress to enact the Panama and Colombia FTAs.” If that’s too much to ask, the President can simply restate the above paragraph.