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Unions, state legislators fight ‘Fast-Track’ legislation
By Kalea Hall
WARREN
Jack Hartley has first-hand experience in seeing the impact of trade deals.
The United Steelworker from Local 207L in Findlay, who is just about 50 days away from retiring, explained how employees at Cooper Tire and Rubber Co. started to immediately lose work hours when tariffs expired on China-imported tires.
“Now it has been bumpy ever since,” Hartley said. “We are trying to get another tariff on the tires.”
Hartley was just one union member in attendance at Wednesday’s meeting with Ohio legislators and U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan of Howland, D-13th, to discuss the “Fast Track” trade legislation.
Union representatives and politicians alike claim the legislation attributes to job losses in the U.S.
“We have to come together and get more organized and engaged in this process or we are going to lose it again,” Ryan said.
Ohio Sens. Capri Cafaro of Liberty, D-32nd, House Minority Leader Joe Schiavoni of Boardman, D-33rd, and Assistant Minority Whip Lou Gentile of Steubenville, D-30th, plan to bring a resolution before the Ohio Legislature that urges members of Ohio’s congressional delegation to urge the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives to vote against Trade Promotion Authority, commonly referred to as Fast Track. TPA legislation allows U.S. lawmakers to vote only yes or no on trade agreements, with no possibility at amending them.
“We need a voice in the process,” said Donald Blatt, staff representative of USW District 1. “We don’t have that now. We want to get this resolution passed. We want to know the voices of the citizens count when we are doing trade agreements.”
The resolution states previous trade agreements under Fast Track rules meant a loss of jobs for the U.S. in order to a win a ruling enforcing the trade agreement if it is violated by another party. The resolution also claims the other trade agreements enacted under Fast Track rules, such as the North American Free Trade Agreement, have resulted in 60,000 facilities closing and a loss of 7 million manufacturing jobs in the U.S.
“We want to assure that we shed light and that everyone has an opportunity in the process,” Cafaro said.
Media reports have said the TPA legislation is expected to pass within the next month. One of the fast-tracking trade deals, the Trans-Pacific Partnership is still in negotiations among several nations.