GUARDIAN: …Good trade agreements can only be negotiated in the open – which is why the constitution requires Congressional oversight. Article I, Section 8 of the US constitution grants Congress exclusive authority to determine the terms of US trade policy. But Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) – which the White House says it needs to complete negotiations – “fast tracks” consideration of trade deals by denying Congress the chance to amend any agreement. Modern expansive trade agreements, however, go much further than when Congress first authorized TPA to allow tariff reductions, and now incorporate everything from intellectual property to banking franchise rules and beyond. Congress must provide mandatory negotiating objectives delineating what must and must not be included in an agreement, and needs to vote to certify that the agreed-upon objectives have been satisfied before the president can sign and enter into an agreement.
Trade agreements must also strengthen labor and environmental standards around the world, and allow us or our trade partners to maintain without penalty strong climate and environmental protections over any weaker standards negotiated in the deal. For example, an American based firm cited our free trade argument with Peru to avoid paying fines after it didn’t meet cleanup obligations under Peruvian law.
We also need provisions protecting a worker’s right to organize and collectively bargain without interference or intimidation by their employer. Partner nations must adopt and enforce the core labor rights and conventions included in the International Labor Organization (ILO) Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work, and the US Congress should have the ability to investigate the enforcement of labor provisions. If trade partners fail to implement and enforce meaningful labor protections, we should maintain the ability to alter trade agreements… (more)
