<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html charset=utf-8"></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div apple-content-edited="true" class=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; widows: 2; border-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; border-collapse: separate; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; widows: 2; border-spacing: 0px;"><div style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; " class=""><div class=""><br class=""></div></div></span><a href="https://teamster.org/news/2018/08/hoffa-us-mexico-agreement-first-step-towards-better-north-american-trade" class="">https://teamster.org/news/2018/08/hoffa-us-mexico-agreement-first-step-towards-better-north-american-trade</a><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"></span><h2 id="page-title" class="title" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0.5em 0px 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 1.75em; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-weight: normal; line-height: 1em; font-family: droid_sansbold, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(41, 44, 48);">Hoffa: U.S.-Mexico Agreement is First Step Towards Better North American Trade</h2><div class=""><br class=""></div>
</div><div class=""><h5 class="field-label" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0.75em 0px 0.5em; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 1em; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: none; line-height: 1.125em; font-family: droid_sansbold, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(64, 64, 64);">More Work Needs to Be Done to Ensure All Workers Benefit from Reformed Deal </h5><br class=""><div style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(49, 49, 49); font-family: droid-sans, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;" class="">(WASHINGTON) – The following is a statement from Teamsters General President Jim Hoffa about the bilateral agreement-in-principle announced today between the U.S. and Mexico to revamp the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).</div><div style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(49, 49, 49); font-family: droid-sans, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;" class=""> </div><div style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(49, 49, 49); font-family: droid-sans, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;" class="">“The Teamsters Union has long been a leader in demanding real reforms to NAFTA to make it work for worker across all of North America. We have been working closely with the USTR on those demands and we believe that the Administration has taken real steps to deal with our concerns regarding cross-border trucking and highway safety.</div><div style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(49, 49, 49); font-family: droid-sans, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;" class=""> </div><div style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(49, 49, 49); font-family: droid-sans, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;" class="">“However, there is still much work to be done. Canada, for one, must be part of the agreement. The interests of all North American workers must be included as part of any trade agreement that is ultimately approved.</div><div style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(49, 49, 49); font-family: droid-sans, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;" class=""> </div><div style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(49, 49, 49); font-family: droid-sans, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;" class="">“NAFTA has been a failure. The Teamsters and other unions must see the final text to learn how this agreement will raise wages, ensure worker rights and freedoms, address enforcement, reduce outsourcing and put the interests of working families first in all three countries.”</div><div style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(49, 49, 49); font-family: droid-sans, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;" class=""> </div><div style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(49, 49, 49); font-family: droid-sans, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;" class="">Founded in 1903, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters represents 1.4 million hardworking men and women throughout the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico. Visit <a href="http://www.teamster.org/" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(95, 132, 189); text-decoration: none;" class="">www.teamster.org</a> for more information. Follow us on Twitter @Teamsters and “like” us on Facebook at <a href="http://www.facebook.com/teamsters" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(95, 132, 189); text-decoration: none;" class="">www.facebook.com/teamsters</a>.</div></div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">======</div><div class=""><br class=""></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><b class=""><span style="font-size: 13pt;" class=""><a href="https://www.foodandwaterwatch.org/news/nafta-lite-trade-announcement-likely-conceal-deregulatory-corporate-giveaways" style="color: rgb(149, 79, 114);" class="">NAFTA-Lite Trade Announcement Likely to Conceal Deregulatory Corporate Giveaways</a></span></b><o:p class=""></o:p></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><b class=""><i class=""> </i></b><o:p class=""></o:p></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><b class=""><i class="">Statement by Wenonah Hauter, Executive Director, Food & Water Watch</i></b><o:p class=""></o:p></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""> <o:p class=""></o:p></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><b class="">Washington, D.C.</b><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>– “The Trump administration’s announcement that it has completed a ‘new and improved’ replacement for the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) should be taken with more than a grain of salt. A vague description of a bilateral deal with Mexico alone (the U.S.-Mexico Trade Agreement) was announced in the White House today, with an eye toward forcing a reluctant Canada to the negotiating table. But we have no confidence that the Trump administration will truly address the many flaws in NAFTA. <o:p class=""></o:p></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""> <o:p class=""></o:p></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class="">“The devil resides in the details of these corporate-driven free trade deals, and we expect that the fine print will include the kind of pro-polluter, pro-fossil fuel industry, pro-Wall Street deregulation that has been a hallmark of Trump’s domestic agenda. These rumored trade provisions would codify the administration’s savage attacks on environmental protection, food safety and consumer rights into trade deals that enshrine and globalize deregulation, making it harder to restore U.S. environmental and consumer protections once this administration is shown the White House door.<o:p class=""></o:p></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""> <o:p class=""></o:p></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class="">“We need a new trade agenda that puts people, communities and the environment ahead of corporate profits. Today’s announcement is most likely a deregulatory wolf in fair-trade sheep’s clothing. The public is right to be skeptical of today’s announcement.”<o:p class=""></o:p></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""> <o:p class=""></o:p></div><p style="margin-top: 0in;" class=""><i class="">Food & Water Watch champions healthy food and clean water for all. We stand up to corporations that put profits before people, and advocate for a democracy that improves people’s lives and protects our environment.</i></p></body></html>