Today in Janesville, union workers and community members gathered at Rep. Paul Ryan’s office to call attention to the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). Constituents are calling on the Congressmen to stop “fast track” for the massive trade deal. Protestors cited outsourced job loss and low wages as the primary concern of bad trade policy like the TPP.
The Trans-Pacific Partnership is a massive, 12-nation trade deal being negotiated in secret between the countries of Australia, Brunei, Chile, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Canada, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam. The TPP would encourage companies to outsource millions of good-paying American jobs to low-wage foreign countries, resulting in a race to the bottom in wages and working conditions at home and abroad. The TPP also threatens environmental standards, food safety and labeling provisions.
Wednesday’s action at Rep. Paul Ryan’s Janesville office builds on growing momentum to stop the TPP. This week similar actions will take place in La Crosse, Madison, and Milwaukee as workers come together to call on their elected representatives to stop unfair trade deals that hurt working people.
Over the last few months, tens of thousands of Americans have raised their collective voices in opposition to Fast Track. According to the AFL-CIO, over 86,000 calls were made to Members of Congress while over 40,000 people signed onto a national petition to stop Fast Track. Around the country over 400 events were organized in Congressional districts.
