[CTC] Progress on Labor and Human Rights Must Come before Colombia Free Trade Agreement Goes Into Force

[Anthony Dest]

http://teamsternation.blogspot.com/2012/04/act-now-to-stop-back-room-trade-talks.html

Friday, April 6, 2012
Act now to stop back-room trade talks

Just how infuriating is it that 600 lobbyists for multinational  
corporations can find out details about the secret negotiations for  
the latest job-killing trade deal, but the workers and citizens who'll  
be affected by it are kept in the dark?
Pretty damn infuriating.

The "Trans-Pacific Partnership" is a massive proposal (we just  
can'tcall it a "free trade deal," since its main purpose is to  
deregulate multinational corporations) that would affect nearly two  
dozen Pacific Rim countries. The next round of negotiations will be in  
the United States, but we don't know when or where. Protestersflash  
mobbed a local news station during the latest round of negotations in  
Melbourne.

Here's how Economy in Crisis describes the proposed deal:
When plans commenced in 2005, the Trans Pacific Partnership was slated  
to be a small agreement linking New Zealand, Brunei, Chile and  
Singapore. ... the TPP (is) the major focus ... pushing for the United  
States’ inclusion in the pact. The resulting increase in global  
interest has attracted Australia, Malaysia, Peru, Vietnam and Japan to  
enter into discussions, as well.

Japan, which has the world’s third largest economy, will already be a  
major obstacle for the United States if the TPP goes on as planned.  
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Japan had a trade surplus with  
the U.S. of over $60 billion in 2010. And that figure looks to be  
roughly the same for the 2011 financial year. Opening up American  
borders to more unrestricted trade with Japan makes absolutely no  
sense from an economic standpoint.
But it gets worse. With Canada and Mexico looking into joining the  
TPP, an outcome worse than NAFTA is a certainty.
Lori Wallach is a general in the battle against job-killing trade  
agreements. Recently she wrote that the TPP would,
...undermine financial regulation, increase drug prices, flood us with  
unsafe imported food and products, ban Buy America policies aimed at  
recovery and redevelopment, and empower corporations to attack our  
environmental and health safeguards before tribunals of corporate  
lawyers.
The Teamsters are sending around an online petition urging U.S. Trade  
Representative Ron Kirk to publicly release the negotiating proposals  
for the Trans-Pacific FTA. They'll be delivered to U.S. trade  
negotiators prior to the start of the next negotiating round, widely  
rumored to take place in the United States in May. We need lots and  
lots of signatures, so please act now and tell your friends.

Click here to sign the petition.
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