Public Employee Press

Labor and allies blast proposed anti-worker Trans-Pacific trade agreement


Organized labor aims to torpedo a new trade agreement backed by the Obama administration, charging that it would eliminate jobs and push down wages.

Leaders of the AFL-CIO describe the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal as "NAFTA on steroids," a reference to the 20-year-old North American Free Trade Agreement between the United States, Canada and Mexico that has eliminated as many as 1 million jobs in the United States.

Opponents of the TPP agreement between the United States and over a dozen Asian countries gathered at City Hall Jan. 21 to urge Congress to reject the deal.

New York State AFL-CIO President Mario Cilento said the new pact would worsen inequality in the United States, and he hit the deal for giving too much power to corporations, which would be allowed to overturn domestic regulations if they impede profits.

Speakers blasted the Obama administration for putting the agreement on the "fast track," which means the U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives would only be allowed to vote for or against the agreement, not amend it.

"I voted against NAFTA," said U.S. Congress member Nydia Velazquez. "I will vote against this," she said, charging that TPP would damage the environment and eliminate jobs.

About a week after the news conference, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada spoke against fast track.