WASHINGTON (Nov. 5, 2015) — The United Steelworkers (USW) union said it remains “unalterably opposed” to the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade agreement on the day the White House released the trade deal's full text.
“It's a dagger twisting in the heat of American manufacturing,” the USW said in a Nov. 5 statement. “Even the Wall Street Journal predicted the deal would cause a massive trade deficit in manufacturing which would result in hundreds of thousands of job losses.”
The TPP, according to the union, provides incentives for U.S. companies to outsource production and send jobs overseas. It would cause dramatic job losses in the U.S. manufacturing sector, and its rules of origin for automobiles and auto parts would allow China to provide the majority of a vehicle's content, the USW claims.
The TPP would also allow currency manipulation to continue, do nothing to prevent state-owned enterprises from receiving state support and protection, and allow foreign workers to continue to suffer violations of their rights, the USW said.
The Obama administration insists that the TPP will create jobs and protect workers' rights. In a Nov. 5 blog post, President Barack Obama said the TPP will allow the U.S. to write the rules for trade and workers' rights, rather than ceding that right to China and other countries.
“I know that if you take a look at what's actually in the TPP, you will see that this is, in fact, a new type of trade deal that puts American workers first,” Mr. Obama wrote.
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