The United States this week refused to agree to language in a statement on international trade at the OECD ministerial in Paris, instead opting to issue a separate statement focused on trade enforcement. Without having the support of the U.S., the chair of the OECD ministerial opted to issue another statement that endorsed numerous aspects…
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It has become an article of faith that workers today are experiencing almost unprecedented levels of labor-market disruption and insecurity: Robots are automating factory jobs, kicking lunch-pail workers into the unemployment line. Taxi drivers are being displaced by Uber. Artificial intelligence is even taking over some of the tasks that lawyers and doctors used to…
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View 2-page Overview | View Full Recommendations (Washington, D.C., June 12, 2017) Today, the AFL-CIO revealed an extensive set of recommendations that could turn the North American Free Trade Agreement into a trade agreement that empowers working people. The recommendations include changes to labor and procurement rules, as well as improved consumer protections and new rules to prevent…
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Washington~ Today, the Coalition for a Prosperous America (CPA) submitted written comments to the Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR) urging that the US should not be afraid to walk away from NAFTA if an agreement that substantially improves economic and job outcomes for the US cannot be achieved. USTR will hold a hearing…
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The Office of US Trade Representative requested comments from interested parties regarding a June 27, 2017 hearing regarding NAFTA Renegotiations. This is CPA’s official written testimony submitted in response. Summary The US needs to rethink trade agreements and unilateral trade policy options to better connect them with improved trade performance through increased US production, wages,…
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A new analysis commissioned by manufacturing and export giant Caterpillar attempts to dismantle arguments that the border adjustment tax contained in the House Republican tax reform “blueprint” would violate U.S. commitments under World Trade Organization rules. [Charlie Mitchell] June 7th, 2017 [Inside Trade] Critics on Capitol Hill, in industry and academia have cited incompatibility with…
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France, it would seem, is no longer the chief villain among America’s so-called European allies. That honor now goes to Germany. June 4th, 2017 [USA Today] At least that is the message President Trump sent last week by blasting Germany for its perennial trade surpluses and its reluctance to spend more on defense, prompting German Chancellor Angela Merkel…
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The present is getting better. The future, not at all. Even as more Americans say the economy is improving, a clear majority remain fearful about their children’s financial prospects, according to a study released Monday. [NELSON D. SCHWARTZ] June 5th, 2017 [The New York Times] The pessimism is not limited to the United States, either,…
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During the campaign, candidate Donald Trump called the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) a “disaster” and promised he would renegotiate it to make it “much better” for working Americans or withdraw from the deal. Today, Public Citizen is releasing the first two in a series of briefing papers on NAFTA’s outcomes since it went…
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The road to a sustainable Democratic majority—nationally, locally, and in the states—must include much higher Democratic performance with white working-class voters (those without a four-year degree). Nearly every group in the progressive infrastructure is busy figuring out how Democrats can get back to the level of support they reached with President Obama’s 2012 victory. That…
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