Across the country and internationally people are rising up against a trio of corporate rigged “trade” treaties: the TransPacific Partnership (TPP), the TransAtlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), and the Trade in Services Agreement (TiSA). Together these secret deals represent an enormous power grab by the world’s largest and most dangerous multinational corporations. They were written by corrupt trade ministers and hundreds of corporate lobbyists without public (or even US Congressional) input. They would impact every aspect of our lives (see issue-specific info below).
In October, 2015, after five years of secret talks, a final TPP deal was reached! Read analysis of the final text here. Before becoming law, however, it had to pass through US Congress and the legislatures of all 12 TPP countries. The movement of movements against the TPP prevented Congress from having sufficient votes to ratify the TPP, and President Trump officially withdrew the US from the TPP. His opposition to multi-lateral agreements means that the TTIP is on hold for now. His position on TiSA is unclear, which means we must remain vigilant.
President Trump’s trade priorities at the moment are to:
- Renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement
- Negotiate bilateral agreements with the UK and Japan
- Possibly pursue the bilateral agreement with China started under the Obama administration.
Trade for People and Planet will provide resources and information about these agreements, and will also examine other forms of corporate power grabs, such as Foreign Trade Zones and Public-Private Partnerships, and alternatives to these failed economic mechanisms.
Resources:
NAFTA
Analysis: NAFTA’s 20 year Legacy and the Fate of the TPP
AFL CIO Blueprint for NAFTA to Benefit Working People
Public Citizen on NAFTA
Bilateral agreements
The Trump administration is considering bilateral agreements with Japan, the United Kingdom, the EU, and possibly China. Talks with Japan could start as early as January 2019.
Trade-in-Services Agreement
TISA Leaks Uncover the Largest Trade Deal in History by Wikileaks
TISA: https://wikileaks.org/tisa/
Investor State Dispute Settlement
Multilateral investment court assessment obscures social and environmental impacts by Ante Wessels
New models that put people and planet before profit
Financial Market Reform: Strengthening Public Interest by Suleika Reiners
Resource Archive
General articles on TPP:
Trans-Pacific Partnership-Corporate Coup d’Etat Against Us: by Jim Hightower
10 Tall Tales on Trade: Fact Checking Obama’s Top Trade Official: by Ben Beachy
Why People Oppose the TPP, TTIP, and TiSA: by Alliance for Democracy
Conservative critique of the TPP by Coalition for a Prosperous America: Coalition Prosperous America on TPP 12-1-15
Open Media’s “Let’s Talk TPP” Report on Canadian Resistance to TPP
Now that the TPP text has been released, here are analyses of the chapters:
Press releases and analyses
Economic Analyses:
Pete Peterson Institute (analysis showing problems with this study)
The World Bank (US to see smallest increase in GDP)
Tufts University (data on lost jobs and wages and increased inequality)
Center for Economic Policy and Research (TPP hurts workers)
Economic Policy Institute study on state-by-state job loss in 2015 from trade with TPP countries
The US International Trade Commission Economic Impact Report and analyses:
Read the USITC Report here: US ITC Report TPP
Read the People’s Report (written before the US ITC report was released): The People’s Economic Impact Statement
AFL CIO Fact Sheet
Dean Baker, Center for Economic and Policy Research, on US ITC Report: Click here.
Communications Workers of America: ITC Report Shows TPP Fails Workers
Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy: US ITC Ignores Food Safety, Overstates Benefits for Farmers
R-CALF United Stockgrowers of America: USITC Report Predicts Exceedingly Small Benefits for U.S. Beef Packers While Failing to Address Impacts to the U.S. Cattle Supply Chain
Teamsters: New Projection in TPP Report Should be taken with a Grain of Salt
AFL CIO: ITC Report Shows TPP is Disastrous for Working Families
National Farmers Union: USITC Report Predicts Increase in Trade Deficit, Modest Gains Overall
Machinists Union: ITC Report Shows TPP’s Deep Flaws for Workers
General articles on TTIP:
Newly Leaked TTIP Draft Reveals Assault on US/EU Democracy by Sarah Lazare
Download TPP PowerPoint
The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP)
NEW! TPP 101 Powerpoint from the AFL-CIO: TPP 101 for Trade in a Box
Handouts
Click here for TPP OccuCards
NEW Quartersheet Flyer: TPP Qrtrsheet Flyer
NEW Flyer that connects many issues to trade (to order flyers, contact Mary Beth at mbgardam@gmail.com, or print your own): ClimateJusticeWomenPeaceTrade
New flyer on TPP and US Postal Service: TPP Postal Service Flyer
See issue flyers below
Letter from 1500 Organizations (good handout for Congress members): TPPOppositionLetter_010716
Issue-specific handouts and info: This is about more than trade!
The Triple Treaty Threat of TPP, TTIP, TiSA will impact every aspect of our lives: they would take away environmental protections, offshore American jobs & decrease wages, remove food safety laws, curtail internet freedom, inhibit access to lifesaving medicine, spur further financial deregulation and more. TPP, TTIP, TiSA impact people of color, the poor, and oppressed communities most. These treaties would expand US empire, white-supremacy, and corporate capitalism. They would further privatize schools and prisons, allowing the ruling class to profit from the destruction of black and brown communities. They would increase human and sex trafficking, forced migration, and the ongoing genocide of indigenous peoples. All of this would be upheld by more repressive policing and military intervention. Here is some info on the wide-ranging impacts of the TPP, TTIP, TiSA (see videos below for more).
Corporate Power/Investor State Dispute Tribunals (ISDS):
One page flier on corporate power
MAP of multinational corporations that could use ISDS provisions
ISDS website: http://www.isdscorporateattacks.org/
Ralph Nader Article
History of Trade and Corporate Power
Video on ISDS
Analysis of ISDS in the TTIP: http://corporateeurope.org/sites/default/files/attachments/the_zombie_isds.pdf
Regulatory Harmonization:
Harmonization Webpage
FOE on why Regulatory Coherence is Environmental Hazard
Preliminary Analysis on Regulatory Coherence
Democracy:
One page flier on democracy
Bernd Hamm on the end of Democracy: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3
Food safety, small farmers, and food justice:
Food Safety Flier: foodflyernationl
Food and Farming Factsheet
Farmer letter and handouts
Article on TPP and Food
Globalization and factory farms
Monsanto, the TPP, and Global Food Dominance article
Big Agriculture vs small farmers article
One page flier on food safety
Letter from Langdon: Farmers Pay the Cost of ‘Free’ Trade
Fair Trade Project’s Report on Farmers and Free Trade in the Global South
Environment & Climate Justice
2 sided half sheet on Climate justice: PDF Version and Word Version
One page flier on environment
DelawareRiver Keeper Analysis
Sierra Club Trade website: http://www.sierraclub.org/trade
Sierra Club Report on Climate and Trade
TTIP would increase oil/gas export from US to EU
TPP, TTIP, TiSA increase fracking in the US
TTIP undermines UN Sustainable Development Goals
Global Justice for animals/environment page
Labor, workers rights, jobs, wages:
Resource page from the AFL CIO.
Infographic on lack of job creation
One page flier on off shoring American Jobs
One page flier on worker rights
New report on TPP from Tufts shows it hurts workers and the economy
Past FTAs increase trade deficit, offshore jobs, suppress wages
More info on TPP, jobs and wages
Report by Sen. Warren’s office on the impacts of trade agreements on labor rights: Broken Promises
Human Trafficking:
Article: US ignores Malaysia human trafficking to advance TPP
CWA statement on trafficking
Public Health:
Letter from 29 groups about threats to healthcare and medicine in USMCA
Flier to give to health professionals: CostofMedicenationalbrochure
One page flier on public health
Margaret Flowers article
Backgrounder on the TPP and health
Doctors without borders on TPP with video
Health-oriented website with materials: TPPKills.org
Internet Freedom:
One page flier on internet freedom
EFF Article: Intellectual property and the internet
Animal Rights & Extinction:
Four reasons TPP threatens endangered species
TPP, TTIP, TiSA threaten bees and pollinators!
More info: http://freetradekillsanimals.org/
Financial Deregulation:
One page flier on financial deregulation
Ellen Brown article: More power to big banks.
Public Citizen: Trade agreements prevent financial regulation like Glass-Steagall
WTO forced deregulation of banks
Public Services:
One page flier on public service attacks
Wikileaks: Privatization of services under TiSA
Buying Local:
One page flier on buying local
TPP procurement chapter ends buy local
Disproportionate impacts on People of Color:
Quarter sheet flier (two sides) on TPP & white supremacy
Ajamu Baraka Article: TPP is a black issue
Ajamu Baraka Article: Black opposition to TPP
Article on Ferguson and Trade
More info from TradeJustice
Disproportionate impacts on Women:
Article from National Organization for Women
TPP is a feminist issue. LGBTQ and women impacts.
Disproportionate LGBTQ Impacts:
Article on TPP & LGBTQ impacts
TPP & the Military Pivot to Asia:
General overview.
What the US military says about TPP.
2014 Teach in here.
2015 Call recording here.
Islanders Unite To Resist TPP and New Pacific War
Palestine and the BDS Movement:
Article: TPP, TTIP, TiSA will destroy BDS
More Impacts on “Developing World:
Article on impacts on underdeveloped world
Letter to Congress on trade & Global Poverty