One key ingredient to America’s success has been a large and prosperous middle class. Working families have always been the backbone of our economy. It’s the middle class that built this country and bought the goods and services that fueled our economic engine for decades.
But lately that engine has been sputtering. One reason is that over the past 20 years, the United States has lost about five million manufacturing jobs, the kinds of good paying jobs that supported the middle class and generated beneficial economic ripple effects across our economy. Just in the past couple of weeks, we have heard news of more American job getting shipped to Mexico: 2,100 jobs from a Carrier factory in Indiana and 1,300 good-paying jobs from Carbone, an auto parts manufacturer in Philadelphia.
Why is this happening? Why are these jobs moving to Mexico?
These recent job losses are a direct result of a 1994 trade agreement between the US, Canada and Mexico called “NAFTA.” When NAFTA was passed, we were told the agreement would result in a better economy for Americans. Unfortunately, those promises have not borne out and the economic pact has cost millions of Americans their jobs.
But now, President Obama and Congress are hoping to push through a new trade agreement that will likely have similar negative consequences for our middle class. Called the “Trans Pacific Partnership,” or TPP, this agreement is between the US and eleven other Pacific rim countries.
There is strong opposition to the TPP from across the political spectrum. No candidate for president, Democrat or Republican, is supportive of the TPP. And strong opposition to the deal has come from liberals like Senator Elizabeth Warren and a host of Tea Party organizations.
Even Nobel-winning economist, Paul Krugman, who supported NAFTA, opposes the TPP. Last year he wrote:
“…the selling of the 12-nation Pacific Rim pact has the feel of a snow job. Officials have evaded the main concerns about the content of a potential deal; they’ve belittled and dismissed the critics; and they’ve made blithe assurances that turn out not to be true.”
Similarly, Congressman Neal, who voted for NAFTA, opposed a vote to “fast track” the TPP last year. Although the agreement barely squeaked out “fast track” status last year, the TPP must still go before Congress for final approval which will likely happen sometime after November’s elections.
As a city councilor in Westfield, I am deeply concerned about the TPP and its potential negative impacts on our local and regional economy. At our last city council meeting, I asked my colleagues to consider adopting a resolution to oppose the TPP to help create awareness about the TPP. Similar resolutions have been passed in Northampton and Springfield and are currently under consideration in Holyoke and Chicopee. The resolution has been passed in large cities such as Seattle and is under consideration in hundreds of other local decision making bodies across the country.
Although my motion did not pass, I will continue to do what I can to raise awareness about the TPP. Trade agreements that undermine our middle class are bad for America and our local economy here in Westfield.
Sincerely,
Steve Dondley
Westfield City Councilor, At-Large
