The UFCW continued its fight against fast track and the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) last week. In a letter to all 535 members of the House of Representatives and U.S. Senate, International President Marc Perrone called on elected leaders to listen to hard-working families and oppose fast tracking the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). “With all due respect to President Obama and the elected politicians who support this trade deal, this agreement will hurt hard-working families, workers, and our shared future,” he wrote. The letter detailed why fast tracking the TPP would make life more difficult for hard-working American families. “For over three decades, fast track trade deals have brought broken promises–not prosperity–to hard-working families,” Perrone wrote. “In the face of these truths, we are told by those who support this bad trade deal that we are misunderstanding the positives. In actuality, we understand the harsh reality that workers and families will again pay the price.” Read coverage of Perrone’s letter in The New York Times.
Also last week, Perrone responded directly to Walmart’s endorsement of fast track. “For decades, Walmart’s profit at any cost policy has plunged us into a low-wage economy where too many working families are struggling to make ends meet,” he wrote. ”So we understand why Walmart—which has systematically violated workers’ rights and lowered wages and standards—would favor another unfair trade agreement. But we remain puzzled why President Obama and other elected leaders who talk openly about their support for hard-working men and women would do the same.”
Click here to send an e-mail to your member of Congress opposing fast track and the TPP.