The Southern Hemisphere Free Trade Agreement, better known as the TPP or Trans-Pacific Partnership, is another trade agreement in which the workers lose and corporations win. Prior to the free trade agreements, I had the opportunity to discuss NAFTA with Ron Wyden, the Democratic senator from Oregon who is now the leading Democrat pushing to fast-track TPP. Wyden assured me so many years ago of how great free trade was and all the jobs it would create.
As of 2013, we have lost 682,900 jobs with a trade deficit estimated to be up to $100 billion per year with Mexico. As of 2012, we have lost 2.2 million jobs with a trade deficit estimated up to $30 billion per month with China. The Korean free trade agreement signed in July 2012 cost us 40,000 jobs within the first year and led to a trade deficit of nearly $6 billion. These are job losses after jobs gained by these agreements.
My former company just built two super bakeries in Mexico while it closed bakeries in the United States and Canada. It may be your job next. Please take a minute to tell your congressman to say “no” to the fast-track authority.
Doug Long
Camas
