CWA Statement on Today?s House Fast Track Votes

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Communications Workers of America (CWA) issued this statement on today’s House votes on Fast Track:

Today is a day that working families can celebrate, but we aren’t letting up. We will continue to press Members of Congress to listen to their constituents and fully reject Fast Track for bad trade deals like the Trans-Pacific Partnership.

The House leadership tried to use a gimmick to push Fast Track through Congress. In rejecting an extremely weakened Trade Adjustment Assistance package, representatives today stood with working families who want good jobs and thriving communities. If, as expected, the TAA measure is brought to the House floor again next week for reconsideration, we will press these members of Congress to keep listening to voters, not multinational corporations.

“We keep score. We see the Democrats and the Republicans that stood with us. TAA was the only way to get Fast Track through, and despite the efforts of the President, TAA failed. The subsequent vote on Fast Track itself proved this as we failed to stop Fast Track by a margin of eight votes – just a difference of four votes either way. House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi got it right when she said that Democrats have always supported TAA but not as a path to Fast Track,” said CWA past President Larry Cohen, leader of the coalition work on Fast Track.

CWA President Chris Shelton said, “I’ve never been prouder of our union and the work CWA members do. We’ll continue to fight back and build the movement we need.”

We must fully defeat Fast Track, so that Congress can work for trade deals that give working families at least as much standing as corporations. We need 21st century trade that works for all of us, not just investors and multinational corporations.

Our broad coalition of Americans — representing millions of union members, environmental activists, immigrant rights advocates, people of faith, students, public health and consumer advocates, community leaders and so many more — will keep up the fight until Fast Track is defeated.

Contact: Candice Johnson, Communications Workers of America, cjohnson@cwa-union.org

Read more at: http://www.cwa-union.org/news/entry/cwa_statement_on_todays_house_fast_track_votes