Support the fight for fair trade
When President Obama delivers his State of the Union address this week, he’s expected to – rightly – focus on growing income inequality in the United States.
Yet at the same time, the White House and “pro-business” Democrats and Republicans are pushing for Congress to give speedy approval to a new trade agreement that would further weaken the middle class and only increase the divide between the wealthy and working people.
This trade agreement, the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), would force American workers to compete for jobs with people in countries with drastically lower pay, benefits and labor standards. It’s just like the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) but on a much larger scale.
The good news is that a broad array of labor unions, progressive organizations, humanitarian groups, consumer advocates and faith-based groups are banding together to put pressure on Congress to put the TPP on a slow track. AFSCME is among the more than 500 members of this coalition.
The result of enacting the TPP as it’s now written would be disastrous – more jobs being shipped overseas and stagnant wages at home, all while CEOs and wealthy shareholders reap the benefits. Food safety and environmental standards would also be weakened. Robert Reich, who served as Labor secretary in the Clinton administration, has called the TPP “NAFTA on steroids.”
Supporters of the TPP want to give the president “fast-track” authority that would allow him to negotiate the agreement and severely limit Congress’ authority to make changes, including changes that would protect American workers.
“Fast track authorization is a threat to our democracy and our sovereignty. It is a legislative procedure that facilitates closed-door deal making,” AFSCME President Lee Saunders said. “The stakes are too high for Congress to tie its own hands when it comes to modifying trade deals it had little role in developing in the first place.”
The long list of groups joining AFSCME in this fight includes the AFL-CIO, the American Federation of Teachers, Communications Workers of America, International Brotherhood of Teamsters, United Autoworkers (UAW) and Service Employees International Union (SEIU), as well as allied groups like Public Citizen, the League of Conservation Voters, the Sierra Club, the National Consumers League and the National Family Farm Coalition.
“After decades of devastating job loss, attacks on environmental and health laws and floods of unsafe imported food under our past trade agreements, America must chart a new course on trade policy,” the broad-based coalition said in a letter sent to all members of Congress. “To accomplish this, a new form of trade authority is needed that ensures that Congress and the public play a much more meaningful role in determining the contents of U.S. trade agreements.”
You can lend your support to this effort – visit the Citizens Trade Campaign website today to send a message telling your congressman to protect American jobs and keep the TPP off the fast track!
Congress’ job is to scrutinize the president’s decisions and represent their constituents – not serve as a rubber stamp on policies that will devastate the middle class. Contact your congressman now and tell them to oppose “fast-tracking” the TPP and other trade agreements!