WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — Representatives of 60 labor unions urged the US Congress to oppose granting US President Barack Obama the authority to fast-track international trade agreements that are detrimental to US workers, the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) stated in a press release.
“In a show of solidarity, workers from across economic sectors representing sixty unions … came together today to sign a letter to [US] Congress expressing opposition to Fast Track authority, which is used to advance unfair trade deals,” the press release, issued on Tuesday, said.
Fast track authority would allow the President to negotiate, with little congressional oversight or opportunity to amend, trade deals that lead to lost jobs and lower wages, the AFL-CIO said, pointing to the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP) as a prime example.
“Fast track is an undemocratic, unaccountable and completely unacceptable way to develop economic policies that affect us all,” AFL-CIO asserted. “America needs a new version of trade negotiating authority that brings the process out from behind closed doors.”
“It’s time to stop believing in the fairy tale that passing one more fast track trade deal is going to have different results,” the AFL-CIO concluded.
The TPP, which would secure commercial agreements between the United States and eleven other countries, including Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, and Vietnam, represents a platform for regional trade integration in the Asia-Pacific, according to the US Trade Representative’s website.
In December 2014, Obama called on the US Congress to pass a fast track authority that would allow him to negotiate international trade deals requiring only a direct vote on the matter without involving procedural issues.
The AFL-CIO is the umbrella federation for 56 unions representing 12.5 million working men and women, according to the group’s website.
