For the first time ever, a majority of the majority party in the House of Representatives co-sponsored a bill that would prevent deals like NAFTA and CAFTA. The bill, called the TRADE Act, has been introduced in both the House and Senate.
Teamsters were at a recent news conference in California where Democratic Reps. John Garamendi and George Miller became the 128th and 129th voting members of the House Democratic Caucus to endorse the TRADE Act. That gave the bill a majority of support among the 256-member Caucus. Miller is an especially important voice against bad trade deals; he is a close ally of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
"More and more, our friends in Congress understand what working men and women have understood for years: these so-called ‘free-trade deals’ are devastating to our economy," said Teamsters General President Jim Hoffa.
"Our fight against bad trade deals like Colombia and Panama is finally paying off. With the majority of the majority signed on to the TRADE Act, it’s unlikely these deals will ever get approved."
The TRADE Act would make sure that the benefits of trade go to workers, not just multinational corporations and Wall Street.
The TRADE Act sets the foundation of how a trade agreement should be negotiated. It also will prevent future trade deals from banning ‘Buy American’ policies and prohibits privatization and deregulation requirements.