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.

Unions ask Obama to improve political disclosure

The Teamsters and 12 other union groups sent a letter to President Obama yesterday urging him to sign an executive order that would require businesses receiving federal funding to disclose all of their political contributions.

It's part of a continuing effort by the IBT and our allies to crack down on secret corporate political spending, which has become a scourge of U.S. democracy. In the wake of the devastating 2010 Citizens United ruling, the Supreme Court expected the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to issue rules that would give investors transparency on company donations. However, the SEC has refused to act on the matter.

So the unions in the letter said they are now looking for help from the president who has the ability to seek further disclosures from government contractors:

An Executive Order requiring government contractors to disclose their political spending would reach at least 70 percent of the Fortune 100 companies – an important step in shedding light on the millions of dollars influencing our campaigns and elections.

As it stands, at least $600 million in political contributions have been made by nameless donors since 2010. Without proper transparency, voters are left in the dark about the sources and funders of campaign advertising meant to influence voters' choices at the ballot box.

Companies are increasingly playing an outsized role in U.S. elections. In many cases, they donate money to advocate controversial policies that could antagonize their customers and undermine their businesses. But the public has no idea.

That's not how it should be. Unions are required to disclose their contributions. And millions of people making retirement investments have a right to know about how the companies they’ve purchased shares in are spending their cash.

Fair is fair.