Trade agreement

United States-Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement Implementation Act

atraub — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 10:44:25 -0400

Legislation

The middle class

Video Summary

Injustice Facts

Overview/Summary

Middle Class Position Analysis

Quotes from Experts

Beyond this Bill

Additional Resources

United States-Peru Trade Promotion Agreement Implementation Act of 2007

atraub — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 17:41:58 -0500

Legislation

The middle class

Opposes

Video Summary

Injustice Facts

United States trade deficit as of August 2007: $57.6 billion

Minimum monthly wage in Peru, in U.S. dollars: $155

Estimated percentage of increased inequality of earnings in the U.S. in 2006 attributable to trade policy: 7

Minimum annual loss this represents to the typical married couple household in the U.S.: $2,000

Approximate proportion of U.S. workers whose jobs are potential targets for off-shoring if present trade policies continue over the next two decades: 1 in 4

Overview/Summary

Middle Class Position Analysis

The Middle Class Opposes. Increased international trade can contribute to economic growth, but the way trade rules are formulated in agreements like this means that the benefits of trade are distributed unevenly, ultimately undermining the middle class and aspiring middle class in both the U.S. and the nations it trades with. A central problem is that the Peru trade agreement empowers businesses and investment capital to cross international borders more easily, providing a decisive advantage over working people who are not so internationally mobile and whose rights are not equally well protected in all of the nations covered by the agreement. This imbalance of power creates incentives to move U.S. jobs overseas and puts downward pressure on the wages of American workers as they are placed in more direct competition with poorly-paid, disempowered Peruvian workers.

The new provisions on labor rights in this agreement represent a step in the right direction, but are unlikely to make a significant impact on Peru’s poor labor rights practices: while Peru must agree to follow a set of labor rights principles, such as eliminating employment discrimination and forced labor, it is not bound to any specific agreed-upon standards. At the same time, Mexico’s twelve years of experience with NAFTA suggest that the average person in Peru will also see their standard of living decline under this agreement. In the U.S., the experience of NAFTA suggests that more jobs will be lost due to displaced domestic production than will be gained due to export growth. The deal also raises concerns about food safety for middle-class consumers especially because the imports of largely untested Peruvian seafood are expected to increase dramatically.

Quotes from Experts

Beyond this Bill

Additional Resources

“Final Text of the United States - Peru Trade Promotion Agreement” from the Office of the United States Trade Representative

“Peru, Panama & Colombia FTAs: NAFTA Expansion to the Rainforest and Beyond” from Public Citizen’s Global Trade Watch

“US-Peru Free Trade Agreement” from the Citizens Trade Campaign

Dominican Republic-Central America-United States Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act of 2005

atraub — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 13:56:20 -0400

Legislation

The middle class

Opposes

Video Summary

Injustice Facts

Estimated number of U.S. jobs gained due to export activity since NAFTA took effect: 1 million
Estimated number of U.S. jobs lost due to displaced domestic production since NAFTA took effect: 2 million
Number of months after CAFTA passed the U.S. Congress that a North Carolina textile factory announced it would layoff 200 workers as it moved operations to El Salvador: 4
Amount by which CAFTA is projected to increase the U.S. trade deficit with Central America according to the U.S. International Trade Commission: $100 million
Minimum percentage of the decline in the U.S. manufacturing employment that can be attributed to the nation’s trade deficit: 34
Number of minutes the House of Representatives’ vote on DR-CAFTA was scheduled to last: 15
Number of minutes the vote was kept open so that House leadership could muster enough support to secure passage by a single vote: 62

Overview/Summary

Middle Class Position Analysis

The Middle Class Opposes. Increased international trade can contribute to economic growth, but the way trade rules are formulated in agreements like NAFTA and DR-CAFTA means that the benefits of trade are distributed very unevenly, ultimately undermining the middle class and aspiring middle class in both the U.S. and the nations it trades with. A central problem is that DR-CAFTA empowers businesses and investment capital to cross international borders more easily, providing a decisive advantage over working people who are not so internationally mobile and whose rights are not equally well protected in all of the nations covered by the agreement. One result is that CAFTA is expected to increase the outsourcing of U.S. jobs – from manufacturing to reading x-rays and operating call centers – to Central America. U.S. workers are also likely to see their wages eroded as they are placed in more direct competition with poorly-paid Central American workers who lack strong labor protections and rights in the workplace. At the same time, Mexico’s twelve years of experience with NAFTA suggest that the average person in Central America will also see their standard of living decline under these conditions. In the U.S., the experience of NAFTA also suggests that more jobs will be lost due to displaced domestic production than will be gained due to export growth.

Trade agreement

United States-Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement Implementation Act

Legislation

The middle class

Video Summary

Injustice Facts

Overview/Summary

Middle Class Position Analysis

Related Blog: Header

Quotes from Experts

Related Blog: Text

Beyond this Bill

Related Blog: Link

Additional Resources

United States-Peru Trade Promotion Agreement Implementation Act of 2007

Legislation

The middle class

Video Summary

Injustice Facts

Overview/Summary

Middle Class Position Analysis

Related Blog: Header

Quotes from Experts

Related Blog: Text

Beyond this Bill

Related Blog: Link

Additional Resources

Dominican Republic-Central America-United States Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act of 2005

Legislation

The middle class

Video Summary

Injustice Facts

Overview/Summary

Middle Class Position Analysis

Related Blog: Header

Quotes from Experts

Related Blog: Text

Beyond this Bill

Related Blog: Link

Additional Resources