PAGE 10 | March 4 , 2016 | NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS
... Schrader: Still reading up on it
From Page 1
the labor federation began run-
ning ads against Democrats who
voted for fast track. At a private
meeting between Schrader and
NOLC’s executive board Dec.
14, things were reportedly
heated, and the Feb. 17 break-
fast was a follow-up to that.
Schrader showed up in cow-
boy boots, jeans, and an over-
sized belt buckle, and opened
the breakfast meeting with a
run-through of Congress’ recent
accomplishments. Under re-
cently-deposed Speaker John
Boehner — “a good man who
tried to get things done”
Schrader said — Congress
passed a government budget
and highway fund extension,
ended some punitive features of
No Child Left Behind, and fixed
a cost-of-living-increase prob-
lem for Social Security benefi-
ciaries.
“I’m bullish on America,”
Schrader told the several dozen
labor officials. “You look at the
basics, and most of you all are at
work, which is a great thing. …
You can’t get a home, can’t
build them fast enough these
days. Car sales are going great,
and the country looks pretty
god-dang good.”
Then it was time for ques-
tions. Nearly every question and
comment was about trade pol-
icy, particularly the pending
Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP)
deal. If approved by Congress,
the TPP would eliminate tariffs
and expand the rights of foreign
investors in 11 other Pacific
Rim nations — including Viet-
nam, Malaysia, and Brunei,
where workers lack basic labor
rights. Schrader voted against a
NAFTA-style trade deal with
Colombia, but he voted for sim-
ilar deals with Korea, and
Panama, and there’s every ex-
pectation he’ll vote for the TPP.
“I feel like you turned your
back on American workers,”
Teamsters Joint Council 37 rep-
resentative Mark MacPherson
told Schrader at the breakfast.
The text of the secretly-nego-
tiated TPP was released to Con-
gress and the public Nov. 5.
Schrader said he’s currently
reading through the TPP’s labor
chapter, but he spoke of the deal
as if it’s still unknown what’s in
it: “For me to vote yes on a trade
agreement, the trade agreement
would have to show significant
progress on the issues you
talked about …. This new agree-
ment has to have core labor
standards in it.”
Union trade policy experts
say the TPP’s labor rights provi-
sions are stronger than any pre-
vious trade deal, but are still too
weak. For example, under a side
agreement, Vietnam is commit-
ting to allow independent
unions within five years, but if
it doesn’t keep that commit-
ment, there would be up to two
years of consultations, and only
then could there be a return to
tariffs — and that’s only if the
U.S. president at the time
chooses to enforce Vietnam’s
commitment.
Schrader didn’t get into those
specifics.
“It’s a win-win,” Schrader
said of the TPP. “Our brothers
and sisters around the world
have better opportunities to earn
a decent wage, and in so doing,
they’ll be risen into the middle
class of their respective coun-
tries, and we can sell them our
stuff that we make here in
America.”
What about the trade deficits
that have followed nearly every
trade agreement going back to
NAFTA? Oregon Fair Trade
Campaign director Michael
Shannon asked Schrader to
think about that, and the impact
on American jobs if Congress
approves more such agree-
ments.
Schrader said NAFTA
“clearly took American jobs and
workers to Mexico,” but he
blamed America’s trade deficit
on the strong dollar and bad eco-
nomic conditions overseas —
not on past trade agreements —
and said Oregon blueberry,
small fruit and vegetable farm-
ers think the Korea agreement is
a good deal.
After 40 minutes, Schrader
said he had to go. As he made
his way out of the room, I asked
him if he still thinks the national
AFL-CIO president is a bully.
[In June, he referred to Trumka
as “the bully” in an interview
with the blog Roll Call]
No, Schrader said: Trumka
has since softened his tone and
apologized.
“Do you think it’s wrong for
labor to run ads critical of De-
mocrats who voted for fast
track?” I asked.
“Not wrong, just foolish,”
Schrader said — given the risk
of losing seats to Republicans.
After Schrader left, several
labor leaders gave him credit for
appearing before them and lis-
tening. But none thought he’s
likely to vote against the TPP.
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