Unions, activists to protest TPP in DC Friday

<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It’s no secret (at least to Teamster Nation readers) that the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) is a raw deal for America’s workers and consumers. But </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/450001515036305/?context=create" rel="nofollow"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">unions and TPP opponents on Friday will take that message to decision makers</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">themselves. <o:p></o:p></span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL5GNPh4L9dyFEjafZgdiLgok9fpP5_M0vgNOuTOWAXZejHvGXGnGsP1spLECr7NtKsbzE1Y7RlXgK3QNdhzmGV_vRO4iWp0vuqjkx_b7TV33eLlje3d5hnhidRw71jJ4kMMouyRMMkqih/s1600/tpp.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="130" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL5GNPh4L9dyFEjafZgdiLgok9fpP5_M0vgNOuTOWAXZejHvGXGnGsP1spLECr7NtKsbzE1Y7RlXgK3QNdhzmGV_vRO4iWp0vuqjkx_b7TV33eLlje3d5hnhidRw71jJ4kMMouyRMMkqih/s320/tpp.jpeg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A noontime rally is planned outside the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative in downtown Washington, D.C., to coincide with a meeting of negotiators from the U.S. and 11 other Pacific Rim nations in the nation’s capital. While all 18 rounds of discussions have been held behind closed doors, this one is even more secretive and won’t include an opportunity for stakeholders to comment.<o:p></o:p></span></div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> The Obama administration and multinational corporations have made it clear they want to push forward with finalizing the TPP as soon as possible. They tout economic gains for employers and employees alike. But the numbers just don’t support those claims. A </span><a href="http://www.cepr.net/documents/publications/TPP-2013-09.pdf" rel="nofollow"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">report</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">released last week by the </span><a href="http://www.cepr.net/" rel="nofollow"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Center for Economic and Policy Research</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> shows that even when using the most pro-TPP statistics to determine U.S. economic growth, the deal would result in a pay cut for 90 percent of U.S. workers.<o:p></o:p></span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The TPP seems like even less of a good deal when you<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>add </span><a href="http://www.teamsternation.blogspot.com/2013/09/tpp-could-jeopardize-seafood-industry-and-safety.html"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">lax seafood rules</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">, the </span><a href="http://teamsternation.blogspot.com/2013/07/US-should-terminate-Vietnam-TPP-talks.html"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">use of child labor</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> to make garments for sale in the U.S. and potential changes that could </span><a href="http://teamsternation.blogspot.com/2013/05/teamsters-tell-ore-lawmakers-tpp-is-big.html"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">wreck the U.S. dairy industry</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">. At least, that is, for those who aren’t multinational corporations. <o:p></o:p></span></div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> Americans aren’t against trade, they just want fair trade. They oppose putting U.S. workers at a disadvantage and U.S. consumers at risk. They’ve seen enough lost jobs, shuttered plants and hollowed-out communities.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana;">It's time to rebuild the middle class, not tear it down, and that means only approving trade deals that benefit working Americans. Let trade negotiators know that Sept. 20.</span>

rally TPP Unions, activists to protest TPP in DC Friday

It’s no secret (at least to Teamster Nation readers) that the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) is a raw deal for America’s workers and cons...

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