Lawmakers, labor leaders line up against TPP

Lawmakers, union leaders and fair trade activists converged on Capitol Hill late yesterday to again ramp up opposition to the terrible Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) as Congress heads back to work for 2016.

Rep. DeLauro speaks out against the TPP yesterday.

As President Obama gets ready to unveil his agenda for his final year in office tonight, opponents of the 12-nation Pacific Rim trade pact made it clear that approval of the deal won't do anything to help the U.S. economy. Instead, it will lead to further lost of jobs due to good jobs being shipped overseas.

Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) took aim at false claims that the TPP would create new jobs, and cited a recently released Tufts University report that actually estimates it would directly lead to nearly 450,000 lost American jobs as proof. She urged attendees not to give up the fight:

It is clear our concerns have been ignored. Yet we cannot offer any amendments [on TPP]. So we must defeat it.

Meanwhile, Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.) introduced a paper mill employee from his district who has lost his job three times in recent years due to lousy trade deals. He said workers across this country find themselves in similar situations and the only way to stop more from suffering a similar fate is to defeat TPP:

This is not a sustainable model for the United States. ... This is a race to the bottom.

The Teamsters join in support of elected and labor leaders speaking out against TPP. The union has long stood against this very bad trade deal because it will only pad the wallets of the richest few, not lift the economic fortunes of everyday Americans.

Later today, the President is expected to talk at length about this trade deal. But Congress ultimately will have the final say on its future later this year. Whether it's because the TPP will further bloat the nation's trade deficit; allow foreign corporations to challenge U.S. laws; permit unsafe food and products to raid American stores; or drive up the cost of medicines, there are no shortage of reasons why this trade deal should be defeated.

It's time to take a stand.

Battle against TPP heads to Atlanta

Trade officials involved in the negotiations of the 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) may believe they are nearing the end of the process with meetings in Atlanta this week. But the Teamsters and other fair trade allies aren't going down without a fight.

Beginning tomorrow, unions members, environmentalists, health care advocates and others will take to streets of the Peach City as well as to the Internet to stress why this Pacific Rim trade agreement is bad. The pact, still largely a secret to the public, will result in thousands of U.S. jobs being shipped overseas, falling wages and unsafe food and products being shipped to our shores. It could also raise drug prices while hurting the environment.

Dissent remains rampant in this country and around the globe. This morning, for example, six House Democrats asked the U.S. State Department's inspector general to look into what led to Malaysia's upgrade on the agency's human trafficking list. Many believe the improved rating allowed fast track to proceed through Congress in June, The Hill newspaper reported:

The lawmakers said that given the significance of the report in helping to fight global human trafficking, they want to know if there was any request by officials at the Office of the United States Trade Representative, Commerce Department, or any other federal agency to influence or change Malaysia's standing in the latest report. 

They also want information about whether Malaysia’s promotion in status was “unduly influenced” by political considerations instead of unbiased expert analysis.

Meanwhile, Canadian dairy farmers brought their tractors and cows to Ottawa today to protest dairy concessions contained in the TPP.

As the Teamsters have said before, there are just no good reason for everyday Americans to support this agreement. First and foremost is the deal won't create any new jobs here. That is significant and can't be pushed aside by proponents. After all, TPP backers like to insist it will result in new work for Americans, although they can never quite explain how. There's a reason why their responses are so vague.

There is something for everyone to lose if the TPP moves forward. The U.S. and participating nations should keep that in mind as they mull this deal. Can they in good conscience say it will benefit the citizens of the world?

The answer is no.

Hoffa: China's currency manipulation should serve as a warning about TPP

Editor's Note: The following column by Teamsters General President James P. Hoffa is also appearing on the Huffington Post website.

Currency manipulation has long been a drag on the U.S. economy and our jobs. But China’s decision last week to devalue the Yuan shows the kind of damage such tinkering can bring to America. And it’s why Congress cannot approve the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) until something is done about it.

The Teamsters for years have talked about how the issue is a cancer for trade deals like the 12-nation Pacific Rim pact. It makes imports cheaper to buy in the U.S. but drives up the cost of goods workers make here and export to the world. That, in turn, increases our trade deficits and forces U.S. manufacturers to either move overseas or close up shop.

The practice creates an unfair trade advantage that has already cost millions of jobs in this country and shuttered thousands of U.S. factories. And it will only get worse if America proceeds with the TPP. Japan, Singapore and Malaysia, for example, are part of the trade agreement and have a long history of engaging in currency manipulation. China’s decision to lower the value of the Yuan after four years of relative stability will likely cause others nations to do so as well.

The failure to address currency manipulation and undervaluation has been a major cause of the U.S. trade deficit and manufacturing decline. Yet there is no provision in the TPP to do so, even though policymakers understand how devastating it can be to America’s economic health.

It is even more startling when the U.S. already has proof that the lack of currency manipulation language is a major failing in modern trade deals. The three-year-old U.S.-Korea trade agreement, known as KORUS, is the model that the TPP is built upon.  While supporters said it would create upwards of 70,000 jobs, it instead has led to tens of thousands of lost American jobs and an 84-percent increase in this country's trade deficit with Korea. In fact, the U.S. rung up its highest monthly trade deficit ever with Korea in January, reaching $3 billion.

Those job losses are not low-wage jobs, either. As the Economic Policy Institute surmised earlier this year, increased trade deficits push jobs out of better-paying industries. And at a time when income inequality is running rampant in the U.S., workers don't need even more "free" trade agreements that will further strip this nation's economy of middle-income jobs.

Currency manipulation is serious enough that a bipartisan collection of lawmakers have aired their concerns about the issue. That’s a rarity in today’s bogged down Capitol Hill environment. But they know what the Teamsters are other advocates are saying is true – our existing currency policy has failed.

China’s latest actions highlight the importance of addressing this issue. Currency provisions must be placed in the TPP that could be enforced through trade sanctions. But just as importantly, any additional nations that wish to sign onto the pact in the future must also be approved by Congress.  That way, China won’t be able to continue its current practices that leave American workers behind with no way to compete going forward.

TPP wipes out in Hawaii, and why it's good for workers

It seems the Teamsters and fellow fair-trade allies aren't the only ones who have problems with Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). Several of the 12 nations currently negotiating the pact are raising concerns as well.

The U.S., Canada, Japan and Mexico are among the nations who still have major problems with the deal. Dairy, auto trade and medicines are some of the outstanding issues, the article stated. And now the future of the deal is in doubt, The New York Times reported:

[T]he failure to complete the deal — eight years in the making — means the next round of negotiations will push the United States ratification fight into 2016, a presidential election year. Most Republican candidates are very likely to back it, but a final agreement would force the Democratic front-runner Hillary Rodham Clinton to declare her position, which she has avoided.

This agreement is not a good deal for this country, Teamsters General President Jim Hoffa said today. He noted that some 30,000 good-paying Teamster dairy jobs could be jeopardized, while in return store shelves in this country will be littered with cheap products and unsafe food. There are real moral implications if the deal is approved, he stated:

The Teamsters and other fair trade advocates have taken a staunch stand against the TPP because of how this far-reaching proposal will affect workers across the globe. It will result in thousands of U.S. jobs being shipped overseas, and does not adequately address forced labor and human rights violations that continue to be an issue in nations like Malaysia and Vietnam.

Those worries are still very real. That’s why even if this Pacific Rim trade pact is eventually approved, Congress must do the right thing and reject it.

The TPP also would do nothing to halt the practice of currency manipulation, which drives up the cost of American products abroad and drives down the price for foreign goods sold here. The practice has taken a toll on the U.S. automobile industry, stifling sales of American vehicles overseas. Yet the agreement does nothing to stop it.

It's time the productivity of American workers showed up in their paychecks, and that means no more unfair trade deals. Now Congress needs to ensure that happens.

The war against bad trade deals continues

The Teamsters joined fair trade advocates earlier this month in protesting TPP.

The Senate is on the verge of giving final approval later today to fast track legislation that will allow lousy trade deals like the 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) to speed through Congress with little debate and no chance to amend them. Sadly, a majority of lawmakers will choose to side with the powerful over the people.

It is discouraging to lose this battle. More than 57,000 contacts with lawmakers were made through the Teamsters' phone and e-mail tools in recent weeks to tell them to stick up for American workers. But it wasn't enough. As Teamsters General President Jim Hoffa said:

History shows it makes no sense to give a quick up-or-down vote to bad trade deals like the Trans-Pacific Partnership that will only ship jobs overseas and lower wages in the U.S. Yet again, workers have been tossed aside by some lawmakers who are more interested in pleasing their corporate cronies than doing what’s best for their constituents.

But the trade war isn't over. Not by a long shot. The fast track fight has been a galvanizing battle in the effort to build a fair trade movement for the 21st century that protects American jobs and the environment. The momentum is on the side of the hundreds of thousands of people who are now engaged in this effort, organized in the states and intent to fight for their rights.

The battle now turns to the TPP. Americans have not yet seen the text of this lengthy and complex agreement and even elected officials have limited access to the document. How can Congress approve such a trade deal when it doesn’t know everything that is in it?

What the public does know, however, isn’t good. Several TPP chapters have been unveiled by WikiLeaks, and they show the 12-nation Pacific Rim trade deal would result in lost American jobs, bigger U.S. trade deficits due to the currency manipulation practices of other countries and even the possibility that this country’s laws could be challenged by foreign corporations and overturned by an international tribunal.

That’s why the Teamsters and other advocates plan on keeping up the pressure to build real and enforceable labor and environmental standards. A process also needs to be established that includes and informs the public, rather than keeping people on the outside of the negotiating process.

TPP backers have made big promises about how the trade deal will change the lives of Americans for the better, even though The Washington Post found it won’t create any new U.S. jobs. Now they have to make good on those promises. American workers need to get something from these agreements. The corporate class insists they will. The Teamsters and those standing up for workers will hold them accountable for their promises.

Today's Teamster News 03.27.14

Teamster News
Special City Council Meeting to Address Teamsters Strike Against CCTA  Burlington Free Press   ...One of the two items on the agenda of a Burlington City Council meeting that starts 5 pm Wednesday will be an update on the Teamster drivers' strike from Chittenden County Transportation Authority representatives...
Teamster Drivers Strike  at CCTA Enters Week 2  WCAX   ...It's week two of the Teamsters bus drivers' strike, and riders are still struggling to get around. With no apparent end in sight, some families that rely on public transportation say they fear the worst...
Huge Teamster turnout at pro-worker, anti-RTW4Less rally in Missouri  TeamsterNation   ...A large contingent of Teamsters joined well over 3,000 workers in Jefferson City today to rally against right-to-work and paycheck deception bills before the Missouri Legislature...
The death of an employer scam  American Prospect   ...The decisions of the NLRB and the California Labor Commissioner signal that the days of industry-wide misclassification—at least, for port truckers—may be numbered...

Trade
China loses trade dispute over rare earth exports  Reuters   …China has lost a dispute at the World Trade Organization over limits on rare earth and metals exports, handing Europe and the United States a victory over what they see as Beijing's unfair trade practices...
U.S. Steelmakers Push for Duties on Korean Rivals  Wall Street Journal   ...Struggling U.S. steelmakers want Washington to punish their South Korean competitors for selling lucrative steel products to the U.S. oil and gas industry at prices the U.S. suppliers say are unfair...
State Battles
Union groups rally against ‘right to work’ legislation at Missouri Capitol  St. Louis Post Dispatch   ...Gov. Jay Nixon told the crowd he would not hesitate to veto anti-worker legislation as he has in the past. Currently, the Missouri House is considering a measure to put right to work on the August ballot, bypassing the governor...
Pa. still facing an uphill battle to privatize liquor sales  Express-Times   ...The road to liquor privatization in Pennsylvania is defined by detour, and this year is no exception. As an election season begins to heat up, the Legislature is entertaining multiple reform efforts...
Wisconsin's personal income rebounded more slowly than U.S. average  Milwaukee Journal Sentinel   ...After American wages plunged in the darkest days of the last recession, Wisconsin's personal net earnings have rebounded — but at an average annual rate that lags that of the nation and most of its Great Lakes peers, according to the latest government estimates released Tuesday...
Iowa lawmakers consider tax credit for student debt  Quad-City Times   ...Iowa residents could receive a state tax credit for student loans if they earned a degree from a regent institution, community college or nonprofit university in Iowa under legislation considered by a three-member House panel Tuesday...
War on Workers
Northwestern players get union vote  MSNBC   ...In a potentially game-changing moment for college athletics, the Chicago district of the National Labor Relations Board ruled on Wednesday that Northwestern football players qualify as employees of the university and can unionize...
Teachers stage one-day strike in England and Wales  The Guardian   ...Thousands of schools across England and Wales will face disruption and closures today as teachers stage a one-day national walkout over pay and conditions...
Fast Food Managers Prefer 'Stature' To Overtime Pay, Wealthy CEO Says  Huffington Post   ...Fast food CEO Andy Puzder took to the op-ed pages of the Wall Street Journal Tuesday to rip into a White House proposal to raise the wages of low-paid managers who work unpaid overtime hours...
Almagamated Transit Union says overtime exemptions create 'Sweatshops on Wheels'  Examiner   ...Union says that bus drivers have become the scapegoats for accidents caused by workers who are forced to work more than 15 hour days just to make ends meet…
Koch Brothers Invade Tiny Iron County, Wisconsin  The Daily Beast   ...A mining town of 6,000 people isn’t too small for billionaires to mess with to get their way. Inside the race bringing in big money...
Global Horizons Found Liable For Thai Worker Abuse  Associated Press   ...A federal judge has found a California-based labor contractor liable for discrimination and abuse of hundreds of Thai workers at Hawaii farms...
Miscellaneous
Housing WatchdogSlams Massive Property Inspection Industry  Huffington Post   ...The inspectors who decide whether homes have been abandoned and are ready for foreclosure are doing such a terrible job that the whole system requires a major overhaul, and maybe should be scrapped altogether, a government watchdog warned on Tuesday...

 

Today's Teamster News 10.24.13

Local 700 Member Saves 19-Month-Old, Receives Life Saving Award  Teamsters Local 700   ...East Hazel Crest Police Officer Mitchell Drake was responding to a gas leak when a dispatcher called and redirected him to help a family whose baby stopped breathing...
Voting on grocery deal expected to take 2 weeks  The Olympian   ...Puget Sound union grocery workers, including Teamsters, will decide over the next two weeks whether to accept a new contract proposal from four major grocers or head back to the bargaining table...
Lansing approves wage hikes, benefit cuts for 200 workers  Lansing State Journal   ...Lansing City Council has approved a new three-year contract with its public service employees that call for wage increases and reduced pension and healthcare benefits. The city is now is negotiating contracts with Lansing firefighters and with city workers represented by Teamsters Local 580...
Unions Back MGM Plan For Casino  WBAL News   ...The unions, including Teamsters Local 639, that represent construction and labor workers in Prince George's County, Maryland are throwing their support behind a plan by MGM to build a casino at the National Harbor...
Ohio unions remain steady as opposition postures ‘support’ for Right to Work  Beverly Hills Courier   ...As Right to Work supporters ramped up efforts to take the law into their own hands and force the controversial Right to Work agenda onto a statewide ballot in 2014, unions say they are not only ready to fight but believe they have common sense and the public on their side...
Lawsuit holding up sale dates to errant newspaper toss  Telegram and Gazette   ...The lawsuit stalling billionaire John W. Henry's $70 million purchase of two Massachusetts newspaper stems from whether newspaper carriers classified as independent contractors should really be considered employees...
Diebold Charged With Bribery, Falsifying Docs, 'Worldwide Pattern of Criminal Conduct'  BradBlog   ...One of the world's largest ATM manufacturers and, formerly, one of the largest manufacturers of electronic voting systems, has been indicted by federal prosecutors for bribery and falsification of documents ... a U.S. Attorney says the latest charges are in response to "a worldwide pattern of criminal conduct" by the company....
Video: McDonald’s tells workers to get food stamps  Salon   ...A new recording captures the fast food giant's worker 1-800 number touting public assistance...
The number of families with children living in deep poverty has gone up 130 percent since 1996  Salon   ... the number of families with children living on $2 a day or less has gone up nearly 130 percent...
Americans spend less now than in '73, report says  McClatchy   ...Even with the added cost of smartphones and other technology, American families spend less of their total income today than 40 years ago, according to new research. But people aren't saving that extra money...The roughly 14 percent of unaccounted-for income today may go toward expenses such as debt, but it's impossible to be sure...
Bangladesh workers could get 50% raise – but that’s just 9 cents more  The Salon   ...While strikes may garner improvements for garment workers, the real decision maker will be Western retailers...
New York Sets Work Rules for Young Models  New York Times   ...Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo signed legislation on Monday night that will recognize fashion models under the age of 18 as child performers. The new law, which is expected to go into effect in 30 days, will have a significant impact on the casting of models for the next New York Fashion Week in February...
US Free Trade Agreements Are Bad Not Just For The Economy, But For The Environment, Too  Techdirt   ...Far from boosting US exports and creating more jobs as purported by the politicians, both the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and KORUS, the free trade agreement with South Korea, actually did the opposite. They increased the US trade deficit with those countries, and destroyed hundreds of thousands of American jobs...
BP Oil Refinery Waste Stored At Koch Brothers-Owned Site Polluting Nearby Chicago Neighborhoods  Huffington Post   ...Residents in several lower-income Chicago neighborhoods say a dirty oil byproduct from a nearby BP refinery is creating environmental and health hazards -- and no one is doing enough to stop it...
Food stamp benefits going down before the holidays  NBC News   ...Millions of American families could face a sparse holiday table when food stamps benefits get reduced in November, and that could be just the start of deeper cuts to the program to feed poor families...

Taxpayers To Help Pay JPMorgan’s Fine For Causing 2008 Financial Crisis  Fire Dog Lake   ...Feeling generous? You should because you are about to help pay for JPMorgan’s $13 billion fine for causing the 2008 financial crisis... Justice Department Misrepresents JP Morgan Settlement  The Real News   ..."it's a $6 billion deal,” said Black. “That still, of course, is a large number, but compared to how much wealth was extracted by the senior officers and directors, it's actually not that big a deal, and compared to the losses they caused to the world through these frauds that drove the financial crisis, it's actually a pittance...” Countrywide defrauded Fannie and Freddie, federal prosecutor says  Bloomberg News   ...Bank of America Corp.'s Countrywide unit defrauded Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac by selling them thousands of loans known to be defective, an attorney for the U.S. said in closing arguments in a lawsuit against the lender…

IRS delays start of tax season due to government shutdown  Associated Press   ...Here's more fallout from the government's partial shutdown: Early tax filers will have to wait an extra week or two to get tax refunds next year...
This 1 Chart Makes Gordon Gekko Look Like An Average Joe  Huffington Post   ...In 1987 … our typical Wall Street character brought home some $69,550, which was easily more than double the $26,750 of the typical non-Wall Street employee in New York City… That is, until you consider 2012, by which time those two numbers had jumped to $360,700 and $69,200, respectively...
Social Security Pumps $2 Into US Economy for Every Benefit Dollar Spent  Truthout   ...Just as food stamps stimulate the economy by creating about $1.80 of economic activity for every dollar of food stamps spent, Social Security pumps up job-generating and business activity by about $2 for every dollar recipients spend...
Is Detroit really broke? Crucial bankruptcy trial to begin  Associated Press   ...A judge starts exploring that question in an unusual trial to determine whether Detroit indeed is eligible to scrub its books in the largest public bankruptcy in U.S. history. Unions and pension funds are claiming the city failed to negotiate in good faith before filing for Chapter 9 protection in July...
Zoos Get Pandas, China Gets Uranium: Is This a Fair Trade?  Truthout   ...China’s central government seems, more than ever, to be using its monopoly on pandas as a valuable bargaining chip to gain resources including uranium (to power nuclear plants) and access to renewable energy technology...
As many as 300,000 jobless affected by state software snags  Los Angeles Times   ...Problems are growing worse for the state's Employment Development Department after a new computer system backfired, leaving some Californians without much-needed benefit checks for weeks...
Alabama makes plan for issuing free voter IDs  Associated Press   ...The secretary of state's plan for implementing Alabama's photo ID requirement for voting includes making free ID cards available at many locations throughout the state...
Report: Scott Walker decisions drove insurance rates much higher in Wisconsin than in Minnesota  The Cap Times   ...Gov. Scott Walker’s rejection of federal Medicaid money and the state’s hands-off approach to rate regulation has pushed health care exchange rates up to 99 percent higher than in neighboring Minnesota...

Today's Teamster News 09.25.13

Teamsters, Horizon Air Reach Tentative Agreement  Wall Street Journal   ...Horizon Air and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters today jointly announced a tentative agreement on a proposed five-year contract extension covering the airline's 280 aircraft technicians, fleet service agents and other fleet support positions...
CN Rail contract talks with Teamsters snagged on health, safety  Reuters   ...Contract negotiations between Canadian National Railway and the Teamsters Union appear to have stalled as CN demands changes that union officials say could jeopardize the health and safety of workers...
U.S. Income Inequality Higher Than Roman Empire's Levels: Study  Huffington Post   ...the top one percent of earners in Ancient Rome controlled 16 percent of the society's wealth. By comparison, the top one percent of American earners control 40 percent of the country's wealth...
Banks find appalling new way to cheat homeowners  Salon   ...servicers like Nationstar often failed to inform homeowners about the change in servicing rights when they are transferred, meaning that the homeowner kept paying the wrong servicer. This is a clever way to facilitate late fees; just don’t tell the customer where to send their money...
Workers Set Factories Ablaze in Call for Decent Wage for Producing Globe's 'Cheap' Clothing  Common Dreams   ...Bangladesh swept by a third day of protests that leaves nearly 150 injured...
Bangladesh Garment Protests Enter Fourth Day  Bloomberg   ...Shipping Minister Shajahan Khan met last night with factory owners and labor leaders in an effort to end demonstrations that forced about 400 of the country’s 5,000 garment factories to close yesterday...
Greeks public sector workers strike as lenders check reform progress  Reuters   ...Greek public sector workers went on strike for the second time in a week on Tuesday, shutting schools and leaving hospitals with skeleton staff, as inspectors from Greece's foreign lenders checked if the country was meeting its bailout targets...
U.S. Trade Body Urges India to Play Fair   Time   ...An American manufacturing representative body is protesting against perceived discriminatory trade practices initiated by New Delhi ahead of Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s visit to the U.S on Friday...
Unifor Talking Right To Work  Blackburn News   ...The president of Unifor Local 444 in Ontario, Canada says his union is ready to fight Right To Work legislation. Dino Chiodo calls it “work for less” legislation, because that’s what he believes it will leave his members doing if it’s ever imposed on a provincial or federal level...
Walmart Cut Employee Hours So Drastically They Can't Keep Shelves Stocked, Losing Customers Think Progress   ...Amid plunging sales and massive strikes, even Walmart has conceded it can’t run a business on a skeleton crew...
Government Shutdown Deadline In One Week  Associated Press   ...With a week left to hammer out a deal to avoid a government shutdown, some lawmakers seem resigned – if not rushing – to that end...
Robert Reich: We Can Save the Economy If We Get Serious About Taxing the Rich  AlterNet   ...New documentary "Inequality for All," starring Reich explains how to fix America's income inequality...
Nowhere to Hide: The Government's Massive Intrusion Into Our Lives  Tom Dispatch   ...The NSA isn’t the only government agency exploiting technology to make privacy obsolete...
Smithfield shareholders approve Shuanghui deal  Associated Press   ...Shareholders of Smithfield Foods Inc. on Tuesday approved a plan to sell the world’s largest pork producer and processor to a Chinese company...
Bank Of America To Pay $2.18 Million In Racial Discrimination Case  Reuters   ...Bank of America Corp was ordered to pay $2.18 million to 1,147 black job applicants over racial discrimination in hiring that kept qualified candidates from getting jobs, said the U.S. Department of Labor...
How America’s 401(k) Revolution Rewarded the Rich and Turned the Rest of Us Into Big Losers AlterNet   ...It was a bad idea from the get-go, but new research shows that America’s 401(k) revolution has left us even worse off than we thought. Here’s a look at how we got into this mess, and where it will take us if we don’t wise up...
N.J. bank fined $8.2 million over federal money-laundering violations  Star-Ledger   ...Saddle River Valley Bank, a former community bank in Bergen County that once was controlled by private equity magnate J. Christopher Flowers, has agreed to pay $8.2 million to settle federal claims that it broke U.S. anti-money laundering laws...
Union Push for I.P.O. Forces Filing at Chrysler  New York Times   ...Chrysler filed for a public stock offering on Monday, acting only under pressure from its second-largest shareholder, a trust set up to provide medical coverage for 115,000 retired autoworkers and their relatives...

TPP + China = even more reason to worry

Just when you think the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) can’t get any worse, it does. Now China is making rumblings that it wants to participate in the TPP. You know, the country that put the “sweat” in sweatshops!

America has seen what China can do to U.S. jobs, and it’s not good. This nation lost 2.7 million jobs to the Chinese during the first 10 years after China was accepted into the World Trade Organization, but that is only the beginning if the world’s most populated nation is allowed to join the current 12-country Pacific Rim trade pact.

And did we mention that the U.S. trade deficit with China topped $30 billion for the first time in July? Good times!

While trade negotiators are in the nation’s capital to try and work out unresolved portions of the TPP, those who support workers and their allies are taking to the street tomorrow to say the public deserves to be heard on this trade agreement. There should be no quick up-or-down vote in Congress on something so important.

Let's make them remember that when the U.S. negotiates a trade agreement, every provision should benefit working families, not big corporations. America doesn't need anymore "free" trade deals, it needs fair trade deals.

Something’s fishy with the TPP

TPP is an abbreviation for the much-maligned Trans-Pacific Partnership. But it also works as shorthand for Terrible Policy for Pescatarians and is equally apt.

A Capitol Hill panel looking at seafood and the TPP raised serious concerns about what a flood of fish coming in from the 11 other nations involved in negotiations of the trade pact would mean both for consumers and industry workers. Lawmakers and experts said the livelihoods of fishermen and the health of the American public could be at stake.

Mitch Jones, Food and Water Watch’s director of the common resources program who moderated the program, said as it stands the U.S. can’t keep up with imported fish:

In 2010 the FDA [Food and Drug Administration] had 92 full time equivalent border inspectors, which means that in that year each border inspector was responsible for inspecting 56.5 million pounds of seafood. No wonder less than 2 percent of our seafood is actually inspected before being allowed into the country and sold in our stores.

In an effort to stop the soaring importation of unsafe fish, lawmakers and experts agreed it is key to stop fast track, which would allow a quick up-or-down vote on the TPP with little demand and no chance to amend the deal. Having Congress fully consider the agreement would not only help consumers’ health, it would protect hard-working Americans in many different industries.

Reps. Rosa DeLauro (Conn.) and Walter Jones (N.C.), who hosted the briefing, were joined by Sen. Mary Landrieu (La.) on a letter sent to the Obama administration last year asking that public health be a key focus of negotiators during TPP discussions. Unfortunately, due to the secretive nature of the pact’s negotiations, the public doesn’t know where things stand.

As talks between trade negotiators begin to wind down, the Obama administration and Congress need to carefully weigh any deal. While Americans are for open markets, that doesn’t mean they want to trade good U.S. jobs and safe products made here for lost jobs, lower wages and foods that make their families sick. They demand fair trade.

Today's Teamster News 08.20.13

DeKalb County Workers Nearer to Union  Atlanta Journal-Constitution   ...DeKalb County took a huge step toward having its first union representing nonpublic safety workers...
Don’t Forget to Register for the Teamster Women’s Conference  IBT   ...The Teamster Women’s Conference will be held September 19-21, 2013 in New Orleans. Sign up to join your Teamster Sisters and Brothers in this dynamic event while space is still available!...
Shaheen: High Sugar Prices Not Sweet for Jobs  Portsmouth Patch   ...Speaking to union representatives at the Teamsters Bakery and Laundry Conference in Portsmouth Monday, U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-NH, said high sugar prices are killing manufacturing jobs across the country...
Rally for fair trade Tuesday in Minneapolis  Workday Minnesota   ...Communications Workers of America President Larry Cohen will headline a rally Tuesday by union members, community groups and others to protest the proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade deal...
Fast-food workers call for nationwide walkout Aug. 29  Washington Post   ...Emboldened by an outpouring of support on social media, low-wage fast-food and retail workers from eight cities that staged walkouts earlier this year are calling for a national day of strikes on Aug. 29...
Moral Monday protesters rail against 'Mecklenburg trio'  Charlotte Observer   ...One of the city’s largest protests – police estimated about 2,000 demonstrators – packed into uptown’s Marshall Park...
Despite nearly 300 arrests, Capitol protest grows  Wisconsin State Journal   ...Participation in the noontime Capitol protest against Gov. Scott Walker continued to crescendo Monday despite nearly four weeks of almost daily arrests for gathering in the rotunda without a permit...
Americans Get Fewer Paid Sick Days Than Two Decades Ago  Think Progress   ...Compared to 1993, Americans now get fewer paid sick days from their employers on average, dropping from 10 days a year to eight for a worker who has been with a company for a year. The decrease becomes bigger the longer an employee stays on...
Bangladesh’s Workers Deserve Better  New York Times   ...Four months after a building collapse killed more than 1,100 factory workers in Bangladesh, their families are still waiting for adequate — and in some cases, any — compensation. This is a shocking lapse by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her government...
Democrats push back on voting rights  Washington Post   ...After crying foul over Republican efforts to modify election laws in key states, Democrats are launching their own wide-ranging push to change the way Americans vote, kicking off the latest battles in a fight over voting rights that’s as old as the republic itself...
Congressman Brags About ‘Savings’ In Farm Bill, Ignoring Devastating Food Stamp Cuts  Think Progress   ...Rep. Jeff Denham (R-CA) flagrantly misrepresented what the House has done with the farm bill at a recent constituent breakfast in Turlock, California. Denham claimed the House farm bill cuts twice as much spending as it actually does, misled about the nature of those cuts, and ignored his party’s unprecedented decision to drop food stamps and other anti-hunger and anti-poverty spending from the bill...
The Incredible Con the Banksters Pulled on the FBI (opinion)  OpEdNews   ...criminal referrals have virtually vanished against the "accounting control frauds" that drive our recurrent, intensifying financial crises...
Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac Said to Avoid Billions in Write-Offs  Bloomberg News   ...Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, which have reported record profits after a taxpayer bailout, are ignoring billions of dollars in potential losses on delinquent loans as they take three years to adopt a new accounting system, a government auditor said in a letter made public today...
Samsung hit with lawsuit over labor conditions  Washington Post   ...Samsung has been named in a lawsuit filed by a Brazilian labor group, which said working conditions at the technology firm’s assembly lines were in violation of Brazilian law. The group is asking for at least $108 million in damages...
Obama goes to bat for Big Tobacco in TPP  Action on Smoking and Health   ...Legal analysts for the public health community, who were briefed Friday morning in a closed session by administration officials, agreed that the new proposal will do little to protect governments’ right to regulate tobacco...
1,800 Ohio jobs lost  Dayton Daily News   ...Offshoring continues to impact Ohio with companies cutting at least 1,800 jobs in the state since January, according to petitions for federal assistance from employees, labor groups, and company officials...
Support lacking for BART strike ban  San Francisco Examiner   ...BART remains the busiest public transit system in the U.S. that does not have a worker strike ban in place, and the route to blocking that right could be a long journey...
There's A New Push To Raise Seattle Minimum Wage To $15 Per Hour  Associated Press   ...Washington already has the nation's highest state minimum wage at $9.19 an hour. Now, there's a push in Seattle, at least, to make it $15...
Indiana customers due $32M from 6 utilities  Indianapolis Business Journal   ...Indiana's largest power companies are set to reimburse their customers $32 million after falling short on spending for energy efficiency last year...
Minnesota factories' output up, employment down  Minnesota Public Radio   ...Minnesota's factories are churning out lots of products like airplane parts and medical devices these days, but they're not exactly going on hiring sprees...

How the sale of Smithfield offers a view of the future under TPP

An overwhelming majority of voters in the Smithfield Foods district in Virginia are deeply concerned about the sale of the pork producer to Chinese firm Shuanghui International. They take a dismal view of their community's future if a Chinese company buys the major employer.

The potential future of that Virginia district is a microcosm of what life would be like for U.S. workers if the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) is ultimately approved.

A poll conducted last week on the website of Rep. Randy Forbes, who represents the Smithfield district, asked constituents what they thought of the deal. More than 90 percent said a CFIUS (Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S.) review of the acquisition should examine its impact on food safety, the environment and U.S. economic interests.

Food Safety News reported that 15 senators have asked the CFIUS committee to include U.S. Department of Agriculture and Food and Drug Administration representatives to review the deal's effect on food safety.

We reported last year on mercury in Chinese baby food and kebabs made out of cat meat. Here's more from USA Today:

Food-safety worries are rife across China after multiple scandals in recent years. Shuanghui apologized to consumers and withdrew products after a 2011 television exposé revealed use of an illegal additive to produce leaner pork. Like all pork producers in China, Shuanghui does not breed most of its own pigs. Thousands of dead pigs floating in a river near Shanghai this March offered a stark reminder of widespread lax practices.

Voters are also concerned about jobs that continue to support middle-class families. A USA Today report says the average Shuanghui worker only makes $500 a month, while the 1,600 workers at Smithfield's Denison, Iowa, pork-processing plant typically make about $700 a week.

American workers are worried about workplace safety as well. The Food and Commercial Workers Union points out that Chinese processing plants have been plagued by accidents.

Concerns like these will only grow if Congress approves the TPP corporate-empowerment deal. Why?  Because U.S. companies will engage in a race to the bottom with those in many developing nations. American workers will be undercut as jobs will either be shifted overseas or wages will be cut. The quality of life for working Americans will continue to fall. Communities will be hollowed out by shuttered factories. The government will be forced to accept food from other countries that doesn't meet our standards.

No one is against trade, just unfair trade. When the U.S. negotiates a trade agreement, every provision should benefit working families, not big corporations. It is time to rebuild the middle class, not tear it down, and that means trade deals that benefit working Americans.

Stay tuned...

TPP raises worries about race to the bottom for workers

There are lots of reasons for Americans to be wary of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). Negotiations are being conducted in secret. The deal could also let big business make an end run around U.S. worker protections and environmental rules and threaten dairy farmers' livelihood.

But the potential trade pact is no prize for those living in developing nations either. While it could end up creating new employment opportunities, these are jobs no one should want. They will likely only go to the most desperate nations willing to accept the worst pay and conditions for their people, according to several guests appearing on the "Democracy Now" program today.

Celeste Drake, a trade policy specialist at the AFL-CIO, said the TPP does little to increase global trade opportunities. Instead all it does is allow corporations to further take advantage of workers:

Globalization ... has caused a race to the bottom where the world's biggest corporations really play a game of arbitrage, and they are pitting developing nations against one another to see who can provide the lowest wages, the weakest workers' rights regime, and the fewest unions. And the winner is really the loser because they have workers putting in a hard days work with their lives at risk, and definitely not raising their standards of living.

Jim Schultz, executive director of the Democracy Center, said the entire deal is a sham that further empowers big business:

What is at stake is democracy. If you are looking for the protection of your environment, watch out.

While the results are bad enough for the countries who land these poverty-level jobs, it does create a spill-over effect for workers in other nations, Drake said. It gives companies elsewhere leverage to negotiate deals that benefit their bottom lines at the expense of their employees.

And while TPP supporters tout the deal as one that could benefit U.S. trade, that means very little for average Americans, Drake added:

Our past trade agreements starting with NAFTA and going on down the line have basically been big packages that benefit the one percent and if anyone else benefits, its really is only by accident and not by design.

Check out the video below to get a fuller picture on why workers need to better understand the TPP.

Today's Teamster News 05.20.13

Bangladesh Factory Safety Accord: At Least 14 Major North American Retailers Decline To Sign Huffington Post   ...The deadline to sign onto the Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh passed on Tuesday, and at least 14 major North American retailers declined to participate...
The great tax charade: Amazon plays the system while businesses like ours suffer  The Independent   ...We own a pair of independent book shops in Warwickshire. All around us the high street is, essentially, collapsing.... It’s simply not fair that Amazon starts at a an advantage on every sale because it’s not paying its fair share of tax...
Robert Reich: The Hollowing-Out of Government  Moyers & Company   ...The deadly explosion at a West, Texas, fertilizer plant was absolutely preventable. The plant was had not been inspected since 1985, and heavily violated safety standards. Why did this happen? The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is the government agency set to ensure workplace safety, but it’s been steadily hollowed out by Republicans…
Koch Brothers Dump Three-Story Pile of Toxic Byproduct on Detroit  The Gawker   ...There's a new addition to the scenic view along the Detroit River: a three-story pile of petroleum coke, a byproduct of the tar sands drilling in northern Canada over 2,000 miles away...
Class-Action Lawsuit Aimed at Walmart  Hispanic Business   ...Walmart can be sued for being negligent in hiring contractors that employ workers at their distribution centers, according to a federal ruling this week...
Michael Kinsley Feels Your Austerity Pain, Middle Class, But Pain Makes You Beautiful  Huffington Post   ...The austerity policies that gripped the world in the face of the global economic downturn have not worked. Unless the intent was to make a bad situation almost intractably worse...
Say no to Chained CPI scheme (opinion)  Times-Standard   ...Recipients of Social Security benefits and those about to retire should be aware that President Obama's proposed switch to the so-called Chained Consumer Price Index is, if adopted, will result in reduced benefits to all recipients...
Corporations Are Stealing From Hard Working Americans  New Hampshire Labor News   ...If you do not agree that corporations are stealing from Americans then you do not understand our current tax structure...
How Trade Pacts Threaten Public Health and Freedom  U.S. News & World Report   ...Let's face it: trade agreements bore most people. But modern trade pacts reach deep into our lives in ways that have nothing to do with trade. Deals now under discussion undermine the freedom of people everywhere to decide how to live, and they restrict the ability of democratically-elected governments to promote public health. It's time for the rest of us to pay attention…
Winners and losers from the 2013 session of the Missouri General Assembly  Kansas City Star   ...More importantly for the labor movement, the GOP largely abandoned the bill that unions most despised — a ban on unions requiring workers to pay dues, better known as “right to work.”...
Wisconsin Gov. Walker signs work-share bill  Green Bay Press Gazette   ...Gov. Scott Walker has signed into law a bill creating a program that gives employers an alternative to laying off employees when work slows...
Minimum Wage Hike Would Give Women A Needed Boost  Hartford Courant   ...Recently, the Appropriations Committee of the Connecticut General Assembly took a strong step toward growing and strengthening the wages of Connecticut's lowest-wage earners by voting to increase the state's minimum wage. In doing so, the committee also took a stand for women, as women are disproportionately impacted by a low minimum wage...
Texas sues BP, Halliburton, others over oil spill  CNN News   ...Texas on Friday became the latest state to sue BP, Halliburton and others tied to the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill, alleging the parties "engaged in willful and wanton misconduct" and seeking penalties and damages "to the fullest extent allowed by law."...
Indiana Halts Support of Fertilizer Plant on U.S. Bomb Concerns  Bloomberg News   ...Indiana Governor Mike Pence pulled his support of a plan by a Pakistani company to build a fertilizer plant after the Pentagon raised concerns that its products were being used to make bombs...
Georgia depends heavily on federal money  Atlanta Journal-Constitution   ...With Congress promising more federal spending cuts, some Georgia officials are facing up to a politically unpopular fact: the state has become more reliant on billions of dollars from Washington since the start of the Great Recession...

Today's Teamster News 02.15.13

U.S. Grant Funded Workers' Play at LG Chem Factory  Wall Street Journal   ...The Obama administration's electric car efforts took another hit on Wednesday after a federal inspection found a South Korean advanced battery maker never scaled up U.S. production despite receiving $142 million in federal grants...
Wall Street wins again  Salon   ...The secret truth: There never was a “task force” dedicated to ferreting out mortgage fraud...
Euro-Area Economy Shrinks Most Since Depths of Recession  Bloomberg   ...The euro-area recession deepened more than economists forecast with the worst performance in almost four years as the region’s three biggest economies suffered slumping output....
New law credited with 'eye-popping' drop in California foreclosures  Ventura County Star   ...Foreclosure activity in California and Ventura County took a dramatic tumble in January as the state’s new Homeowner Bill of Rights kicked in...
Gas, Diesel Fuel Prices Continue to Rise  USAgNet   ...The U.S. average retail price of regular gasoline increased seven cents to $3.61 per gallon, up nine cents from last year at this time...The national average diesel fuel price increased eight cents to $4.10 per gallon, 16 cents higher than last year at this time...
Brewers of Corona and Budweiser revise buyout to appease US regulators  Associated Press   ...Anheuser-Busch InBev changed the terms of its proposed $20.1 billion acquisition of Mexican brewer Grupo Modelo Thursday in an attempt to push through a deal...Regulators are leery of the tie-up because AB InBev and Modelo control about 46 percent of annual U.S. sales...
Fat-Cat Pay Makes Swiss So Mad Wages Face National Vote  Bloomberg   ...With more than 100,000 Swiss citizens having signed a petition to limit “fat-cat” pay, voters will decide at a March 3 referendum whether top executives should have their compensation set by shareholders...
Minimum Wage Would Be $21.72 If It Kept Pace With Productivity: Study  Huffington Post   ...While advancements in technology have increased the amount of goods and services that can be produced in a set amount of time, wages have remained relatively flat, the study points out...
How Labor Made US Airways, AMR Merger Happen  Forbes   ...the turning point in the merger effort may have come on April 20, 2012 when US Airways said it had gathered support from American’s three major unions for its effort to merge with American...
Ohio unions rally against outsiders doing pipeline construction  Akron Beacon Journal   ...Four building trades associated with pipeline construction will be holding a job action in Ohio's Carroll County early today where WillBros Inc., a company from over 1,300 miles away in Houston, TX is performing work...
Maine Lawmaker Proposes to Ban Union Campaign Contributions  Maine Public Broadcasting   ...a Republican lawmaker says it's a conflict of interest for public workers unions to contribute to candidates for state office, and has submitted legislation to prohibit the practice...
Kane rejects Pa. lottery contract, citing constitutional grounds  Philly.com   ...Pennsylvania Attorney General Kathleen Kane rejected the Corbett administration's contract with a British firm to manage the $3.5 billion Pennsylvania Lottery, saying it "contravenes the Pennsylvania constitution."...
Scott aims to cut port regulations to spur economic growth Herald-Tribune ...(Florida Gov. Rick) Scott wants to increase the maximum gross vehicle weight for cargo containers by 5,000 pounds...
Obama trade proposal threatens more Minnesota jobs  Workday Minnesota   ...“The Trans-Pacific Partnership would accelerate job loss in Minnesota by forcing local employers to compete with companies that take advantage of sweatshop working conditions in places like Vietnam and Malaysia, which are undercutting even Chinese manufacturers,” said Josh Wise, director of the Minnesota Fair Trade Coalition...
Justice Details ‘History Of Abusive Behavior’ At Wisconsin Supreme Court  Talking Points Memo   ...Wisconsin State Supreme Court Justice Ann Walsh Bradley ... offered details about what she called “a history of abusive behavior in our workplace that has escalated from tantrums and rages, to threats, and now to physical contact.” As early as February 2010, Bradley wrote in the document, she had emailed other justices on the court about Prosser’s “abusive temper tantrums...”
Bloomberg: NYC school bus strike is 'lost cause;' union urges him to negotiate  Staten Island Advance   ...Mayor Michael Bloomberg struck a raw nerve with his statement Thursday that the ongoing school bus strike is a "lost cause." The president of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1181, representing the striking workers, blasted Bloomberg over the remark...

Workers learn the hard way that fair trade certification is basically a bunch of crap

Don't be fooled by Theo's touchy-feely graphics.

When Seattle-based Theo Chocolate workers tried to join Teamsters Local 117, they didn't think the company would stand in their way.

After all, Theo says its mission is to make the world a better place.

Instead, the company hired a union-buster, fired a union supporter,  harassed workers and threatened to close the plant. The organizing drive collapsed.

In a stunning display of hypocrisy, Theo Chocolate brags about its "Fair Trade Certification." Here's its gag-inducing mission statement:

We’re dedicated to making our world a better place. And we’re finding ways to do it through our passion—bringing out the best of the cocoa bean. We are all connected. We touch one another’s lives in incredible ways. And we are responsible to and for one another. From the cacao farmer in the Congo, to the truck driver in Seattle, to the chocolate lover in Philadelphia—there is a thread that runs through us all. Theo believes in celebrating those connections, in strengthening them and in finding inspiration within them—inspiration to change the world.

It gets worse: The Theo workers complained to the IMO, a Swiss group that certifies that companies uphold fair trade standards. The IMO (Institute for Marketecology) responded, "Nothing to see here, keep moving."  And offered no explanation.

Today, the IMO was called out by the International Labor Rights Forum. The Washington, D.C.-based group reported that the IMO "neglected to intervene to uphold its commitment to fair trade standards."

In other words, their "Fair for Life" fair trade certification is hooey. According to the ILRF,

The report, titled Aiding and Abetting, exposes how IMO branded Theo Chocolate, a Seattle-based chocolate company, with its Fair For Life certification despite being informed by Theo workers that the company had hired an anti-union consultant and was violating the international labor standards promoted by Fair For Life during a union organizing campaign.

The ILRF, by the way, recommended the IMO make the results of their audits public and set up an appeals process for workers.

Antonio Christian, director of the Teamsters Human Rights Commission, said:

These workers put their trust in fair trade standards but when Theo crushed them, IMO certified it. The Teamsters and the fair trade community share a common goal of economic justice across the food supply chain. The independent arbitration process proposed in the report will be an excellent step in that direction.

Note to Theo: Fair trade begins at home.

Today's Teamster News 12.22.12

Alan Grayson Explains Why He Opposes A Conservative Plan To Unravel Social Security That Starts With A Chained CPI  Down With Tyranny   ...I'm against the proposed "chained CPI" cut in Social Security because it substantially undermines the protection against inflation that Social Security recipients enjoy under current law...
American Dream Fades for Generation Y Professionals  Bloomberg   ...Generation Y professionals entering the workforce are finding careers that once were gateways to high pay and upwardly mobile lives turning into detours and dead ends. Average incomes for individuals ages 25 to 34 have fallen 8 percent, double the adult population’s total drop, since the recession began in December 2007...
Delta Air Gets 22,000 Applications for 300 Attendant Jobs   Bloomberg   ...The applications arrived at a rate of two per minute, Chief Executive Officer Richard Anderson told workers in a weekly recorded message. Applicants will be interviewed in January and those hired will begin flying in June, for the peak travel season...
The Great Walmart Walkout  The Nation   ...On the heels of a series of failed organizing campaigns, unions and their allies are mounting the strongest-ever North American challenge to Walmart...
Lawmakers press for trade response to Bangladesh factory fire  Reuters   ...A dozen U.S. lawmakers pressed President Barack Obama's administration on Thursday to complete a long-running review that could lead to suspension of trade benefits for Bangladesh after a deadly factory blaze there last month..
With Farm Bill Stalled, Consumers May Face Soaring Milk Prices  New York Times   ....Forget the fiscal crisis and the automatic budget cuts. Come Jan. 1, there is a threat that milk prices could rise to $6 to $8 a gallon if Congress does not pass a new farm bill that amends farm policy dating back to the Truman presidency...
Northeast senators confident Sandy relief bill will pass  The Hill   ...Next week, the bill will face a simple majority vote for final passage, but it could be gutted by amendments first...
Michigan labor vote was political payback (opinion)  Politico   ...no amount of spin can hide the real purpose of these laws: It is to weaken the infrastructure of organized labor and, with that, the backbone of the Democratic Party and progressive movement...
Iowa Court: Bosses Can Fire 'Irresistible' Workers  Associated Press   ...A dentist acted legally when he fired an assistant that he found attractive simply because he and his wife viewed the woman as a threat to their marriage, the all-male Iowa Supreme Court ruled Friday...

Teamster: Union busters are not fair traders

The IBT's own Tim Beaty said some union-busting companies still get approved as "fair traders." He was interviewed by a blog called Ethix Merch. Tim is the director of Global Strategies, where he builds union alliances between workers with a common employer or in global supply chains. Here are excerpts from the interview:

Ethix Merch: You argue that the fair trade movement should adopt unionization as a goal. Why are the Teamsters, who mostly represent workers in North America, so concerned about the international fair trade movement? 

Timothy Beaty: When a fair trade certified chocolate company in Seattle called Theo used intimidation, harassment and lies against its employees who wanted to form a union and join the Teamsters it seemed to contradict the fair trade ethos. The fair trade certifier – IMO – said they certified that Theo was in compliance with international labor standards, but they are not. IMO did two audits and told us there were some findings but they are secret and Theo has not moved to correct their anti-union behavior.... 

The Teamsters are very active with unions worldwide in solidarity efforts, particularly regarding multinational employers where our members work including transportation, logistics and food processing. I think that the fair trade movement and the labor movement share important core values, so we are hoping to build understanding and solidarity towards our common social justice goals. Many European unions are pioneers in the fair trade movement in their countries so we’ve been learning from their experience as well. 

Ethix Merch: In order for a large factory or plantation to receive fair trade certification, is your expectation that the workers there must be represented by a union? Or does the workplace simply need to be open to and tolerant of unionizing? 

Timothy Beaty: Yes, a union freely chosen by the workers and the collective bargaining agreement they negotiate is the best way to empower workers. It’s also the best way to monitor compliance with labor rights standards... 

Ethix Merch: What do think is the largest hurdle to your model actually being put into place? 

Timothy Beaty: There are a lot of products being labeled fair trade these days. Cut-flowers, bananas, tea, sugar are examples of products you see with fair trade labels on them that are probably sourced from large plantations with for-hire workers. Chocolate, soap and coffee are examples of products that require processing normally taking place in a factory in the consumer country. In each plantation or factory there will be obstacles to unionized workforces specific to that workplace. If we can get the fair trade movement to make a serious commitment that equates empowerment of workers in the production and value chain with freedom of association and collective bargaining then I think the biggest hurdle is the plantation and factory owners and managers. Their tendency is to game the system against independent worker representation and a binding collective bargaining agreement.

The whole interview is worth reading. You can read it here.

Fair trade begins at home, people

A Seattle chocolate company that claims to support "fair trade" wages an anti-union campaign against its employees who want to become Teamsters. Brother Tim Beaty has a few things to say about that.