“Steelworkers have always believed in strong health and safety, not only for ourselves but the communities we live and work in.”
U.S. negotiators following TPP script in NAFTA 2.0 talks, observers warn
October 26, 2017 by
Two months into NAFTA renegotiation talks, the process is looking awfully familiar to labor and fair-trade observers – and not in a good way. When his trade representatives opened talks with Canada and Mexico in August, President Trump pledged to deliver “a better deal for our workers.” But so far, Minnesota Fair Trade Coalition Director […]
Unions weigh in on Trump’s plans to ‘modernize’ disastrous NAFTA trade deal
July 3, 2017 by
Since being established in 1994, the North American Free Trade Agreement – better known as NAFTA – has triggered job losses, depressed wages and shifted more power to corporations. Now, the Trump administration has notified Congress it plans to “modernize” the horrible trade deal, giving working families an historic opportunity to shape a better trade […]
Unions, environmental groups brace for lame-duck fight over Trans Pacific pact
October 27, 2016 by
On the night of the third presidential debate, a small group of activists gathered inside a union hall in Minneapolis, but their focus was not on the outcome of the 2016 election. It was on what might happen between Nov. 8 and the inauguration, specifically when it comes to trade. President Obama is expected to […]
Safety expert weighs implications as job market shifts ‘from stability to precariousness’
May 6, 2016 by
The nature of work is changing dramatically, and it’s creating new challenges – and pitfalls – for regulators charged with protecting workers’ health and safety. The highest-ranking official at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health called on academics gathered Wednesday at the University of Minnesota to dig deep into the implications of emerging […]
With Fast Track vote looming, Minnesotans join ‘last-ditch effort’ to sway Wisconsin rep
June 10, 2015 by
EAU CLAIRE, Wis. – In a showing of cross-border solidarity, fair trade activists from Minnesota bolstered the ranks of local activists protesting today outside the offices of U.S. Rep. Ron Kind, a lead proponent of legislation that would “fast track” more bad trade deals that threaten U.S. jobs. Fast Track, or “trade promotion authority,” […]
With Fast Track poised to pass Senate, Franken keeps up fight for better trade policy
May 20, 2015 by
A procedural vote last week greased the wheels for Fast Track in the U.S. Senate, but Sen. Al Franken is keeping up the fight for a trade bill that does the least harm to U.S. workers. Yesterday Franken offered two amendments to the Fast Track bill. One would require tougher labor and environmental standards from […]
St. Paul City Council takes stance against ‘poor trade policies,’ including fast track
April 24, 2015 by
The St. Paul City Council took up the fight to stop fast track Wednesday, when members unanimously approved a resolution “opposing the extension of bad trade policies.” “The people of the City of Saint Paul have the best chance to benefit from pending trade and investment agreements only if the process by which they are […]
Not So Fast: Unions ramp up pressure on Congress to stop fast track
April 21, 2015 by
More than a year after sending proponents of fast track back to the drawing board, Congress is poised to consider a modified version of the trade measure this spring. But unions and their allies in the fair-trade movement say the “new” fast track bill amounts to little more than lipstick on a pig. Like previous […]
AFL-CIO halts PAC contributions, gears up for battle to stop fast track
March 11, 2015 by
Upping the ante in its campaign to stop trade agreements that give corporations more power over the global economy, the AFL-CIO announced today it would freeze all contributions to federal lawmakers’ Political Action Committees and focus, instead, on a ground battle against fast track for the Trans-Pacific Partnership. The nation’s largest labor federation announced the […]
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