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| IAM Legislative Director Hasan Solomon has a simple message for members of Congress who vote for the Trans-Pacific Partnership: “Don’t call us.” |
IAM Legislative and Political Director Hasan Solomon recently delivered a stern warning to members of Congress who are on the fence about the latest job-killing trade and economic deal, the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP):
“Now I want you to hear me loud and clear: Any member of Congress, whether you are a Democrat or Republican that supports this agreement, don’t call the Machinists Union for political contributions and don’t call the Machinists Union for help during the election season,” Solomon told a crowd of labor, environmental and faith activists on Capitol Hill.
Instead, Solomon said to, “call Vietnam, where you are sending our damn jobs!”
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| IAM Assistant Legislative and Political Director Bruce Olsson testifies before a U.S. International Trade Commission hearing on the Trans-Pacific Partnership. |
IAM members are standing strong against the secretly-negotiated trade pact, which includes the U.S., Mexico, Canada and 10 Pacific Rim nations, many of which have egregious human and workers’ rights records. From trade and food safety to Wall Street regulations and prescription medicines, the TPP threatens to write the rules in favor of the world’s largest corporations, all while the world’s workers are shut out of negotiations.
Existing trade rules like NAFTA and the U.S.-Korea deal are already costing the average U.S. worker $1,800 a year, according to the Economic Policy Institute. A Tufts University study indicates the TPP will make that figure even worse.
TAKE ACTION: Tell Congress to Save Jobs, Vote No on TPP
At a recent U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) hearing on TPP, the IAM stood with other unions in pointing out the deal’s many flaws, including a lack of enforceable labor standards, an undermining of “Buy American” rules and no language curtailing currency manipulation. A report from the Labor Advisory Committee, chaired by former IAM International President Tom Buffenbarger, says the TPP fails to deliver on all but one of 15 key objectives for working people.
“The Trans-Pacific Partnership represents one of the most flawed trade agreements ever negotiated,” IAM Assistant Legislative and Political Director Bruce Olsson told a six-member ITC panel. “If implemented, it will threaten the continued existence of the U.S. manufacturing sector, and in doing so, threatens the U.S. economy.”
