Elizabeth Warren and Barack Obama in happier times.
The report released Monday by Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren adds fuel to her
weeks-long public dispute with President Barack Obama over trade. The two have been at odds on the matter of fast-tracking trade deals, including the nearly completed Trans-Pacific Partnership of 12 Pacific Rim nations and their disagreement has dipped into the personal, with the president
labeling Warren's criticisms about the deal as "dishonest," "bunk" and "misinformation." He has also said she is just another politician looking to get her voice heard.
After the Senate took one step back last week followed two days later by one step forward on ending a Democratic filibuster against fast-track legislation, Majority Leader Mitch Connell's goal is to get the legislation passed this week before the Memorial Day recess.
Warren is a leading foe, along with presidential contender Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Sherrod Brown (D-OH), of fast-track legislation, which would authorize Obama to finish up the years-long TPP negotiations and allow Congress a chance to review the final agreement but only vote it up or down without amendments. The same goes for any other agreements negotiated under fast-track authority, which is formally called Trade Promotion Authority.
The report prepared by her staff—Broken Promises: Decades of Failure to Enforce Labor Standards in Free Trade Agreements—points out that promises made by past administrations and the current one about robust protections of workers and the environment in trade agreements:
...the history of these agreements betrays a harsh truth: that the actual enforcement of labor provisions of past U.S. FTAs lags far behind the promises. [...]
Again and again, proponents of free trade agreements claim that this time, a new trade agreement has strong and meaningful protections; again and again, those protections prove unable to stop the worst abuses. Lack of enforcement by both Democratic and Republican presidents and other flaws with the treaties have allowed countries with weaker laws and standards and widespread labor and environment abuses to undermine treaty provisions, leaving U.S. workers and other interested parties with no recourse.
Among the problems: The U.S. Trade Representative and Department of Labor “do not systemically monitor and enforce compliance with FTA labor provisions,” the United States pursues few enforcement actions and takes a long time to get to them, 11 of the 20 nations involved in free trade agreements with the United States have many labor-related human right violations including the use of child labor and even the worst abuses are not dealt with, as in the case of Guatemala, where 105 union activists have been murdered in the past four years.
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There's more below the fold.
Zach Carter writes:
"We have two decades of experience with free trade agreements under both Democratic and Republican Presidents. Supporters of these agreements have always promised that they contain tough standards to protect workers," the report reads. "The rhetoric has not matched the reality."
The Obama administration has said it takes labor violations seriously and has pushed countries to improve conditions.
While that is true, as labor and human rights advocates point out, it is far from enough to be effective, with Guatemala, as highlighted in the report, one of the worst examples.
If the fast-track legislation passes the Senate as expected this week or after the recess, it moves on to the House of Representatives. Foes of fast-tracking have long said the House will be where the real fight takes place. There, the vast majority of Democrats stand against fast-tracking, as do some tea party Republicans. Many analysts have said they wonder if the legislation can even get through the House. But Rep. Paul Ryan, the Wisconsin Republican who chairs the powerful House Ways and Means Committee, said on CNN's State of the Union Sunday: “We will have the votes. We’re gaining a lot of steam and momentum.”
Whether the steam and momentum of labor, environmental and other grassroots and congressional foes of fast-tracking will match that of the powerful forces supporting fast-tracking will be determined in the next two to three weeks.