Last week, members of NFFE Local 2 joined the IAM, AFL-CIO and other allied unions and organizations in a Stop Fast Track Lobby Day on March 4, 2015 in Washington, DC. NFFE-IAM members met with their Senators and Representatives to urge their opposition to fast-tracking the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade agreement.
The TPP trade agreement is shaping up to be a disaster for America’s working families. The Obama administration is moving full steam ahead to complete secret TPP negotiations with 11 Pacific-Rim countries, while working to win “Fast Track” trade authority from Congress. Fast Track means that Congress relinquishes its responsibility to determine trade policy to the administration and will be subjected to limited debate and a straight up or down vote with no amendments when the trade bill comes before them. The process is necessary to close the deal.
A recent article shows that the administration’s claims that the TPP could generate 650,000 new jobs to be completely false.
“The Fact Checker frequently warns readers to be wary of claims by politicians that various policy initiatives will yield tens of thousands of jobs. Such claims are often based on studies that rely on a variety of assumptions, any of which can be called into question,” wrote the Post. “In this case, the correct number is zero (in the long run), not 650,000, according to the very study used to calculate this number. Administration officials earn Four Pinocchios for their fishy math.”
NFFE-IAM members joined AFL-CIO unions in opposing TPP on Capitol Hill