FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Washington, D.C., October 27, 2014 – The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM), an affiliate of the AFL-CIO, is fully engaged in the federation’s campaign against Fast Track (http://NoFastTrack.com).
Fast Track is a legislative gimmick being considered in Congress that would make it easier for advocates of Big Trade to pass the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP), without a full and open debate. Fast Track and TPP would give U.S. corporations yet another “free pass” to move jobs overseas to countries where workers are deprived of basic freedoms.
“If Congress passes Fast Track, devastating trade agreements like TPP, which are based on the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), will be more difficult to defeat and will cost thousands of U.S. manufacturing workers their jobs,” said IAM International President Tom Buffenbarger. “IAM members produce the goods that create the global economy. We know the dangers of unfair trade deals to our families, communities and our nation’s economy. The IAM will continue to fight against trade deals that do not work for the world’s workers.”
The IAM is one of North America’s largest industrial unions, representing nearly 600,000 active and retired members in key sectors of the North American economy, including a large presence in traditional and aerospace manufacturing. For more information, visit www.goiam.org.