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Pennsylvania House Calls on Congress to Defeat Fast Track Renewal
In another win for working families, the Pennsylvania House of Representatives yesterday approved a resolution calling on Congress to defeat renewal of President Bush’s Fast Track trade authority. Legislatures in Alabama, Hawaii, Maine, Montana and Vermont have approved similar resolutions and nine other states are considering action.
The Fast Track resolutions are part of an extensive state level legislative mobilization by state AFL-CIOs, local labor councils and community allies to win significant working family legislation. Click here to read about more recent victories.
Fast Track allows the president to negotiate trade deals but prevents Congress from improving or rejecting harmful provisions by allowing only “yes” or “no” votes on such trade packages. Bush’s Fast Track authority expires June 30, unless it’s renewed by Congress.
The Pennsylvania measure says Fast Track should be replaced by a model that maintains state regulatory authority and allows local and state governments and state industry representatives consultation rights regarding trade issues.
Pennsylvania AFL-CIO President William George says the state has lost more than 185,000 manufacturing jobs under deals such as the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) that do not include fundamental protections for workers and the environment. He says an extension of Fast Track will result in further job loss in Pennsylvania, making it even more difficult for workers to compete with foreign countries.
Approval of this resolution sends a strong message to Pennsylvania’s congressional delegation to reject extension of Fast Track and replace it with a genuine democratic model which will benefit the working families of Pennsylvania.
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2 Comments
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This fast track should be opposed by everyone that is truly an AMERICAN CITIZEN……Corporate America evidently is not composed of truly AMERICAN CITIZENS. As much as Bush cater’s to MEXICO,,,,,it would seem to me that the the citizens of Texas would have him exported to Mexico
The only thing fast about Fast Track is the loss of good paying jobs that included excellent fringe benefits packages. Bush will never let Fast Track die as the entire state of Texas does everything they can to keep out all the skilled union trades. Witness the workers in road construction and the home building industries they have lowered the wage scale and won’t unionionize for fear of family members being deported. Fast Track is a win win situation for big business.