SACRAMENTO – Rep. Doris Matsui is the target of a rally Friday by a large coalition of dozens of Sacramento-area labor, environmental, military veteran and health professionals opposing the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), a trade agreement just introduced this week in Congress and described as "NAFTA on steroids."
The rally begins at 12 Noon FRIDAY/April 17 at the Federal Courthouse (5th & I). Activists are expected to try to enter the building and attempt to meet with Rep. Matsui's staff.
The organizations call the pending TPP trade agreement a "bad deal for America" because it would destroy jobs and drive down wages, and have dangerous environmental, public health and economic impacts.
Additionally, TPP details are unknown. Not even members of Congress know all the details and yet are being asked to vote for it sight unseen. The Ryan-Hatch bill contains the same flawed Fast Track process found in last year’s failed Camp-Baucus legislation. It would allow the TPP and other agreements to skirt ordinary Congressional review, amendment and debate procedures.
"We want Rep. Matsui to say no to dangerous trade legislation. President Obama and Free Trade proponents want to rush through this massive trade deal that threatens workers, the environment, and many health and safety regulations. The Fast Track TPP legislation is not democratic. We want Rep. Matsui to stand up for working families, our climate and access to medicines. The TPP could mean disaster for working families," said Xiomara Castro, Northern California director of Citizens Trade Campaign.
"The TPP would decimate what's left of the middle class in our country. This is not a labor issue, but a problem for all Americans who seek to better themselves and provide for their families. The scary part is that the TPP is much bigger than just trade--it's also about our environment, our food, the Internet, our medicine, and so much more, which is why we must stop another bad trade deal from sucking jobs out of our country. We are asking Rep. Matsui to stand with the constituents of his district and to vote NO on Fast Track for the TPP," said Robert Longer, Communications Workers of America, Local 9421.
The very large Sacramento TPP coalition includes: AFL-CIO, Alliance for Democracy, Amalgamated Transit Union Local 256, American Postal Workers, American River Democrats, Blue Green Alliance, California Nurses Association, Capital Region Organizing Project, Center for Policy and Analysis on Trade and Health, Citizens Trade Campaign, College Democrats at Sacramento State, Communications Workers of America, Democratic Party of Sacramento County, Democratic Veterans of Sacramento, Environmental Council of Sacramento, Food and Water Watch, Gamaliel, Green Democrats of Sacramento, IBEW 1245, National Lawyers Guild of Sacramento, Los Rios College Federation of Teachers, SEIU Local 1000, SEIU Local 1021, Sierra Club National, Sacramento Central Labor Council, Sacramento Sierra Club, Women’s International League for Peace & Freedom, U.S./Sacramento-Sierra Foothills Branch.
Contact: Xiomara Castro, Citizens Trade Campaign, 510-701-2798 xiomara@citizenstrade.org
Junior Romero, Sierra Club national, 909-202-5961 junior.romero@sierraclub.org
http://www.stopthetpp.org