Week Of Action Against Fast Tracking (Rigging) Trade Deals

Very soon Congress is expected to begin consideration of a trade promotion authority ("fast track") bill. In response the AFL-CIO has announced a "Week of Action Against Fast Tracking Trade Deals."

Fast track rigs the process that Congress will use to consider upcoming trade agreement like the Trans-Pacific Partnership. Fast track requires Congress to vote within 90 days of the public first seeing the agreement. This doesn't give the public time to read, understand and consider the ramifications of this complex agreement and then organize opposition if opposition is warranted. Also, Congress has to severely restrict debate and is not allowed to fix any problems that are discovered in that very limited amount of time. Meanwhile the giant corporations will be engaged in an all-out, massively funded PR effort to push Congress "not to kill the whole thing."

Week Of Action Against Fast Track

The Week of Action will kick off Wednesday, April 15 at 11 a.m. in Washington, when union members, environmentalists, small business owners, progressives and community allies and other "stakeholders" will rally on Capitol Hill with members of Congress.

On Saturday, April 18, the AFL-CIO and its member unions are organizing more than 50 events throughout the country that will coincide with a global day of action. (https://www.globaltradeday.org/) with hundreds of events in over a dozen countries.

Click here to find an event in your area or to organize your own local event.

Also FlushtheTPP.org will gather on Tuesday April 14 and Thursday April 16 at 11 a.m. in the downstairs food court of Union Station in D.C. for an action briefing. (They say "Three strikes and Fast Track is out!")

Don't Trade Our Future

April 20 is the final day of the Populism2015 Conference in Washington, sponsored by the Campaign for America's Future (CAF), National People's Action (NPA), USAction and the Alliance for a Just Society. The conference will close with its own Week of Action event, "Don't Trade Our Future." (Get it? CAF's website is ourfuture.org) People will assemble at 11:30 a.m. at AFL-CIO headquarters at 815 16th Street NW, and will march first to the headquarters of the Chamber of Commerce and then to the U.S. Trade Representative's office.

There will be some well-known speakers at this event. Even if you are not at the conference, you will want to join and register your opposition to the way fast track rigs the rules against us.