The
Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) is a
massive trade and investment pact, justly described
as "NAFTA on Steroids" by the hundreds of
organizations and millions of people who oppose it.
TPP negotiations began four years ago between the
United States, Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Chile,
Malaysia, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, and Vietnam.
Since then, Canada and Mexico joined in, and now
that the text is finalized, other Asian countries,
including Indonesia and Thailand, have expressed
interest in signing on.
Now that we have the final
text, we see that the TPP threatens to:
Undermine
financial industry regulations needed to
prevent another meltdown
Restrict
free use of the internet
Dismantle
“Buy Local” and “Buy American” preferences
which promote local business
Restrict
use of cheaper generic drugs
Challenge
food safety regulations including on tobacco
and GMO labeling
Delay
action on climate change if not prevent it,
including action on fracking
Disallow
laws/regulations limiting export of oil,
LNG, coal, natural gas and water
Allow
governments to be sued by foreign
corporations for lost profit as a result of
laws and regulations
"So what can I do?" If you want to help stop the Trans
Pacific Partnership, here's the info you need to act
now. The TPP could be submitted to Congress for
an up-or-down Fast Track vote during the Lame Duck
session. If we are going to defeat the TPP,
we need your help for this next phase of
mobilization.
If you wish to learn more
so you can discuss the TPP with family, friends,
your local city and country council members and
congress member, here are excellent analyses:
Then join with local allies
to pass a TPP-Free Zone
resolution.
There are tips on how to organize to pass a
resolution here.
Your first step should be to build a coalition and
talk to your city or county council members
privately to be sure they understand the issues
around the TPP and that you have their support. You
want to have at least a majority vote yes. We can't
afford to hand a victory, even at the local level,
to those who support the TPP.
If you live in a New England state that has a Town
Meeting, now is the time to start building the same
coalition among local residents and groups. You can
write a resolution to be included on your town
meeting warrant, and collect the number of endorsers
needed. You might even consider calling for a
Special Town Meeting to get the resolution passed as
soon as possible. If you wish assistance, email
Nancy Price at nancytprice39 at gmail dot com
Stand out! Act
locally as Portland, AfDers have been regularly
doing to hold signs at intersections to keep the TPP
in the public eye. Scroll down for links to
downloadable posters and signs.
Make an appointment to
speak with your Congress member
during the August Recess. Here’s our factsheet
to take to him/her.
Finally, letters to the
editor are a great way to inform the
public about TPP and how it might impact jobs, laws,
and your local environment.
Want to Learn more?
See below for video and links to articles and news. Ready for organizing
tools? Click here
for resources.
Video:
Trans-Pacific Partnership: NAFTA on Steroids
Like previous free trade agreements, the
Trans-Pacific Partnership has the potential to
undermine laws that protect workers' rights, the
environment, public health, and jobs. That's why on
either side of the Pacific, citizens' groups of all
kinds are opposed to instituting this compact.
Here, Arthur Stamoulis, executive director of
Citizens Trade Campaign, talks to David Delk about
this "NAFTA on Steroids" pact and how to stop it.
This video is available to air on your local
community access station. See this
post
on our blog for more information.
Declare
your community a TPP-Free Zone
Ruth Caplan gives background on the TPP and how
communities, be they cities, states, counties, can
resist the Trans-Pacific Partnership by declaring
themselves TPP-Free Zones and refusing to obey
directives to remove democratically-instituted laws
or regulations from their books. Recorded at the
Democracy Convention in Madison, WI, in 2013.
TPP
Corporate Coup Impacts Democracy and Access to
Medicines
Oregon Fair Trade Campaign Director Elizabeth Swager
gives us a broad overview of the agreement, how is
has been negotiated and why it needs to be opposed.
Force Positive Coordinator (Cascade Aids Project)'s
Benjamin Gerritz talks in a very personal way about
how this agreement could impact the availability of
generic HIV drugs as well as other medicines. The
agreement would help the bottom line of the
pharmaceutical companies while denying life saving
drugs due to increased patent lengths and increased
barriers to approval of generics.
This video is available to air on your local
community access station. See this
post on our blog for more information.
Expose
The TPP produced this short video
outlining all the ways that the TPP gives
multinational corporations the upper hand at the
expense of democratically enacted laws, the
environment, internet freedom, public health, and
protections for workers and local economies. This is
a good one to share with people who are new to trade
issues.
Friends
of the Earth US's video, "Peril in
the Pacific: Trans Pacific Trade Agreement Threatens
People and Planet" highlights threats to the
environment and human rights posed by TPP's draft
investment chapter, and asks why the negotiating
framework for the Trans Pacific Partnership trade
deal favors Wall Street and multinational
corporations at the expense of effective
environmental and climate policy. If you would like
a copy of this video for a local meeting or media,
please contact Bill Waren at wwaren //at// foe
//dot// org.
Visit this
page for resources and
information on how to
declare your community
a TPP Free Zone.
Resources:
"Why should your
Congressional Representative oppose the TPP and
TTIP?"
This two-sided fact sheet outlines some of the major
areas in which the Trans-Pacific Partnership and
Trans-Atlantic Free Trade Agreement will threaten
policies and laws that protect workers, the
environment, public safety and public health, and
national sovereignty. Read
and download here.
"Why should your City or
County Council or Town Meeting oppose the TPP
and TTIP?"
Many of the same national arguments against TPP and
TTIP apply on the local or county level as well, but
our local officials are often more willing to listen
to constituents and to consider what's best for a
community's economy, ecosystems and people, and not
just for big corporate donors. This is an invaluable
resource for anyone working on a local TPP/TTIP free
zone or resolution. Read
and download here.
"Nafta On Steriods: That's the Trans-Pacific
Partnership"
Written by the Alliance's Portland, OR chapter, this
flier describes the TPP, the secrecy surrounding
negotiations, and the importance of blocking Fast
Track. Suggestions for action include questions for
senators and representatives, and an invitation to
join activists in Vancouver, BC this July to protest
at the upcoming TPP negotiating round there. Read
and download here.
"Stop TPP" signs
Print it large, or print it letter-size, use it for
a flier, or post it in your car window and speak
truth to traffic! View
and download here.
"Declare Your City a
TPP/TTIP Free Zone"
Promote TPP Free Zones with this poster. View
and download here.
"Climate Busting Trade
Agreements?"
We will not obey! Say yes to TPP Free Zones and no
to the TPP and TTIP. View
and download here.
"Stop TPP" postcards
A compact handout combines the basic info on the
Trans-Pacific Partnership with links for more
information and action items to stop fast track
re-authorization and to publicly release the TPP
text. View
and download here.
"Just the Facts" full
and half-sheet flier on the TPP
Learn about the history and impact of the TPP
agreement. Gives suggestions for action and links to
websites for more information. Available in a
full-size version, which you can view
and download here, or a half-size,
two-sided version, which you can view
and download here.
Visit this
page for resources and
information on how to
declare your community
a TPP-Free Zone.
Alliance for Democracy takes action AfD
converges, marches, with warning on
climate-trade connection In workshops and out
on the street with our banners, we drew a
connection between multinational-driven trade
agreements like TPP and TAFTA, environmental
and economic justice, and the climate crisis.
Check out this article
to explore the connections between climate and
trade. For resources, click here.
AfD organizer Ruth Caplan
discusses TPP Free
Zones with David Newsome,
Margaret Flowers and Kevin Zeese on WeAct
Radio. Listen here!
Portland AfD produces this postcard call to
action on TPP Portland AfD has
produced a
short and to-the-point postcard handout
with info and actions to stop the
Trans-Pacific Partnership. Print or photocopy
to encourage people to take action.
AfD joins 400 organizations in opposition to
Fast Track and TPP
On March 4, Congress members received a letter
signed by more than 400 organizations representing
over 15 million people, expressing opposition to
Fast Track Authority for the president to
negotiate the Trans Pacific Partnership and
calling for a new direction in trade agreements.
Read the letter here.
TPP: A giveaway for the
global 1%
Our members and supporters speak out for
transparent negotiations: action alert here.
Sign on to block the
"Corporate Death Star"
"To all the governments negotiating the
Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement:
As concerned global citizens, we call on you to
make the TPP process transparent and accountable
to all, and to reject any plans that limit our
governments' power to regulate in the public
interest. The TPP is a threat to democracy,
undermining national sovereignty, workers' rights,
environmental protections and Internet freedom. We
urge you to reject this corporate takeover." Sign
here.
Support
our organizing by becoming a member of
Alliance for Democracy.
"So what can I do?"