Democratic Freshmen Insist NAFTA’s Renegotiation Prioritize Jobs, Wages and the Environment

Democratic Freshmen Insist NAFTA’s Renegotiation Prioritize Jobs, Wages and the Environment

Letter to U.S. Trade Representative outlines basic criteria that must be met in the NAFTA renegotiation to win Democratic support

Washington, DC — As the current round of negotiations over the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) concludes with numerous unresolved issues pertaining to jobs, wages and the environment, freshmen Members of Congress are calling on U.S. negotiators to meet five basic criteria crucial to winning Democratic support for a new agreement.

“Depending on the process and the policies pursued in the renegotiation, a resulting deal could help create good jobs, raise wages and safeguard environmental and health protections — or it could exacerbate NAFTA’s existing offshoring incentives and grant new powers and privileges to the large corporations that shaped past pacts,” said Rep. Pramila Jayapal (WA-7), in a letter to the U.S. Trade Representative signed by twenty-two of the twenty-five new Democratic House members.

The letter calls on negotiators to deliver a new agreement that helps “create good jobs, raise wages and safeguard environmental and health protections” by eliminating investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS), adding strong and enforceable labor and environmental standards, eliminating Buy American and Buy Local government purchasing waivers, requiring imported goods and services to meet U.S. standards, and protecting access to medicines.

The letter also demands “a transparent process with U.S. negotiating proposals and draft agreement texts available to Congress and the public and the special access now enjoyed by hundreds of corporate trade advisors ended.”

“Failure to replace NAFTA would force more Americans into low-paying service jobs, pushing down wages for working people across the United States and beyond.  It’s encouraging to see Democrats so united in holding the administration accountable to changes that would create good-paying jobs, increase wages, and finally put working people and the plant ahead of corporations,” said Arthur Stamoulis, executive director of Citizens Trade Campaign, a national coalition of labor, environmental, family farm, consumer and faith organizations working together to improve U.S. trade policy.

The letter is online at: https://www.citizenstrade.org/ctc/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/JayapalNAFTALetter1117.pdf

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