June 18, 2015
Last week a coalition of labor unions, environmentalists, consumer organizations and civil rights groups prevailed on Congress to halt passage of the Trans-Pacific Partnership. Americans who remember the North American Free Trade Agreement feared that a new round of job losses would be TPP’s main legacy. However, as Bill Raden reports, the trade pact “ which is being resurrected by Republicans “ could have far-reaching consequences for local sovereignty and the future of the U.S.’s struggling manufacturing base.
As Raden points out, TPP could place state and municipal laws governing the work place and environmental safeguards before international trade tribunals if corporations claim the laws limit their profits. In addition, TPP could threaten U.S. procurement rules favoring Buy American policies.
Source: The Trans-Pacific Partnership’s Hidden Dangers