San Diego and the Nation Prepare to Greet the TPP

People from southern California and throughout the nation are preparing to greet trade negotiators and corporate lobbyists as they gather for the 13th major round of Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations from July 2 -10 at the Hilton San Diego Bayfront Hotel.

The San Diego-Imperial Central Labor Council, Citizens Trade Campaign (CTC) and others are holding a kick-off rally to welcome trade negotiators on Monday, July 2 at 12:00 noon at the park adjacent to the Hilton Bayfront and the Convention Center.  The broader Stop TPP Coalition, led by Occupy San Diego and others, is also planning a series of actions and educational events, the details of which will be announced online at StopTPP.org.

Nationally, CTC and its allies have announced National Days of Action that correspond with the San Diego negotiations, and draw attention to the fact that approximately 600 corporate lobbyists have access to the TPP negotiating texts, while the public has been barred from reviewing what trade negotiators have been proposing in our names.

The critical San Diego round comes on the heels of two major announcements.  First, CTC published leaked text of the TPP investment chapter, showing that each TPP negotiating country except Australia has agreed to allow transnational corporations to challenge their laws, regulations and court decisions as “barriers to trade” through private tribunals that circumvent domestic judicial systems.  Second, the United States has allowed Mexico and Canada are being allowed to join the negotiations, which would make the TPP far larger than NAFTA if it were ever enacted.