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D5 — Oregon Says NO to the WTO
Workers, farmers and social justice activists are planning mass demonstrations in dozens of cities across the globe to voice opposition to the new World Trade Organization (WTO) Ministerial being held in Geneva later this year. As part of this global mobilization, more than 50 organizations across the Pacific Northwest are participating in Portland’s December 5th (“D5”) march and rally against the WTO.
The WTO and similar trade pacts have helped disappear the U.S. middle class by making it easier for large corporations to shift jobs around the globe to wherever labor is the most exploited and environmental regulations are the weakest. Literally millions of U.S. jobs have been shipped abroad under these trade deals. The Oregon Fair Trade Campaign estimates that Oregon alone has lost 75,000 jobs as a result.
All this offshoring exerts a significant downward pressure on the wages and benefits of the jobs that are left. Even if your job is safe from offshoring, you’re still hurt by this. One study estimates that most American households lose an average of $2,560 each year as a result of the downward pressure on wages that results from offshoring.
In a variety of ways, the WTO has also served to undermine workers’ movements and worsen poverty in developing countries. People refer to it as a “global race to the bottom.”
The upcoming meeting in Geneva is the fourth major attempt by the WTO to jumpstart its stalled expansion since activists shut it down in the streets of Seattle in 1999. Trade negotiators should be looking for ways to reform the WTO, but that’s not on the agenda. Instead, they’re looking for ways to expand the harmful policies already in place. To site just one example, there is a proposal on the table from the U.S. that seeks to expand banking deregulation into accounting firms. Arthur Anderson, the accounting company that went out of business during the Enron scandal, originally championed the proposal.
We need to send a loud and clear message to our elected officials that WTO’s vision for how to run the global economy is one that we have thoroughly rejected. In Portland, protesters will gather downtown under the west side of the Hawthorne Bridge at noon on Saturday, December 5th. The march begins at 1pm, followed by an indoor rally and concert at Portland State University. Volunteers are needed both with outreach, and on the day of the event. To pitch in, please email involved@december5.org or visit www.december5.org.
1:00 pm - March to the World Trade Center, Federal Building and Wells Fargo Building
2:00 pm - Indoor Rally and Concert at Portland State University
As part of the global days of action against the new World Trade Organization (WTO) Ministerial, people from across the Pacific Northwest will be converging in downtown Portland to speak out against the proposed expansion of failed "free trade" policies and to demand the prioritization of human needs over corporate greed.
Saturday, December 5th * Downtown Portland
12:00 Noon - Gather at Tom McCall Waterfront Park (under the Hawthorne Bridge)
1:00 pm - March to the World Trade Center, Federal Building and Wells Fargo Building
2:00 pm - Indoor Rally and Concert at Portland State University
As part of the global week of action against the new World Trade Organization (WTO) Ministerial, people from across Northwest will be converging in downtown Portland to speak out in favor of human rights and a sustainable economy. This demonstration is endorsed by over 65 Oregon-based organizations. Learn more at www.december5.org.