Corporations over democracy? FREE TRADE TREATIES ARE BAD FOR AMERICAN WORKERS 4SEP13

THE free trade agreements we have in place now are a farce. As someone who works in the international shipping industry I see how these agreements do not work. The only ones benefiting are multinational corporations who gain access to cheap labor markets and corrupt government officials in the countries we have these agreements with (Canada is the exception to the rule). These agreements are not good for America. Now Pres Obama wants to fast track the TPP and the free trade agreement with the E.U. Congress must not give him this authority. Sign the petition to your member of Congress telling them to deny the president fast track authority on these treaties and reject any new free trade treaties the government negotiates.

I'm writing to let you know about a secret trade deal that would threaten our democracy and help giant mega-corporations become even more powerful. This agreement, known as the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), would allow companies to sue and overturn democratically created laws if they hurt those companies' profits. For example, cities that vote to ban fracking could then be sued by greedy gas companies over lost profits — totally undermining local laws and the democratic process itself.

The scariest part? Only a few members of Congress have even seen the details of the Trans-Pacific Partnership, while about 600 corporations have weighed in on the ins and outs of this deal.

The TPP would include 12 countries that border the Pacific, making it the largest free trade deal ever considered by the U.S., and also probably the biggest corporate power grab in history. This trade deal threatens everything we fight for. And to make matters worse, President Obama wants to approve this plan himself — without the input of the American public or Congress.

Take action today to protect the rights of Americans to decide what laws they want to live under. Sign the petition to stop the fast track of the Trans-Pacific Partnership!


Thanks for taking action,

Sarah Alexander
Deputy Organizing Director
Food & Water Watch
act(at)fwwatch(dot)org