MIAMI -- Robert Miller worked his way up from a field laborer to a heavy equipment operator at U.S. Sugar Corp. in Clewiston. Now he's worried he'll lose his good-paying union job and will be left to scramble for other work to support his wife and three children.

That's why he took to the streets in Miami on Thursday, where he joined at least 10,000 other union workers and activists for a 2.2-mile march downtown to oppose a Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) agreement.

As protesters chanted and waved signs, with slogans such as "FTAA Sucks" and "FTAA Another Bush Snafu" during a rally before the march, the 34 ministers from the Western Hemisphere huddled behind closed doors at the Hotel Inter-Continental on Biscayne Bay in an attempt to keep negotiations moving forward on a hemisphere-wide free trade zone.

"If this passes it will put us out of business, no doubt about it," said Miller, 45, who lives in Clewiston. "It would take three or four years, but we would definitely go under."

About 60 other Florida sugar workers joined Miller, who has been with U.S. Sugar for 21 years, in the march. It was the largest since free trade talks started in Miami over the weekend.

The sugar workers wore blue T-shirts carrying a simple, peaceful message: "Jobs Worth Fighting For."Some sugar workers wore orange vests and carried radios, describing themselves as peacekeepers.

Tony Floyd, 37, who has worked for U.S. Sugar for 17 years, was among the group. He's a welder/mechanic for the company and lives in Okeechobee.

"If this passes we will all be done," he said. "We couldn't compete in the world market, not following the regulations we have to."

Floyd and Miller say it would be impossible for them to find similar jobs in the United States if they lose theirs to the FTAA.

"There won't be any more jobs if this passes," Miller said. "All the skilled jobs will be in Brazil, Guatemala or other South American countries."

The goal of the FTAA is to lift trade barriers in the hemisphere, including tariffs, to lower costs for consumers and businesses. President George W. Bush and other supporters see the agreement as a way to promote prosperity, greater productivity and higher wages.

Critics see it another way.

"He (Bush) is trying to destroy this country," said Ruben Banks, a vice president for the Alliance of Retired Americans during Thursday's rally at Bayfront Park. "But you know what, we're not going to let that happen. This is the greatest country in the world and we're going to keep it that way."

Protesters pointed to the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), which links the United States, Canada and Mexico, as enough reason to fight the FTAA. They argue it has resulted in more poverty, lower wages and a decrease in good jobs. They say FTAA will do the same.

Florida's sugar workers were joined in the march by teachers, steelworkers, retired union workers and others. The march was overseen by the AFL-CIO. The AARP and AFL-CIO organized free bus trips to Miami from Naples and Fort Myers for local residents wanting to participate in the demonstration.

For the most part, the rally and march were peaceful. But there were a few clashes between protesters and police, who swarmed the downtown streets to protect the secured area where ministers will continue to meet through today.

At least 1,000 protesters -- many wearing bandannas across the bottom half of their faces, surgical masks and blue batting helmets -- approached lines of police blocking downtown streets. Others carried gas masks and tried to pull down security fences with large hooks. Officers dressed in riot gear used their batons mostly to push back the protesters, but occasionally used them to strike demonstrators.

Police brought out armored tanks and at least six helicopters hovered overhead as demonstrators gathered at Bayfront Park. Officers displayed stun guns and used a spray that smelled like rotten eggs to disperse protesters. The demonstrators sprayed a cream on at least one policeman and threw objects at others.

At least seven demonstrators were arrested. Police said one officer suffered minor injuries. Some protesters also were hurt.

Some described the scene as a "police state."

Lance Stelzer, a Miami lawyer who works on police-related issues, said authorities overreacted to the protests because of rioting outside the 1999 World Trade Organization meetings in Seattle and at other free-trade meetings worldwide.

"When you have that kind of police presence dressed up in storm-trooper garb and a mentality of 'Let's close off the entire city because we had rowdies in another city,' it has a tendency to incite problems that might not otherwise exist," he said.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

Copyright 2003, Naples Daily News. All Rights Reserved.