In addition to trading under rules that put the interests of workers and their communities over those of corporations, the best trade policy for America also involves choosing the right trading partners and creating negotiating goals specific to the political, social and economic conditions of a given country. For example, Japan—a new partner in the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP)—has kept its markets closed for years, particularly to important products like automobiles. If we open U.S. markets even further to Japanese cars and trucks but create no reciprocal increase in auto exports, U.S. firms and their workers throughout the auto supply chain will suffer significant losses—harming families and U.S. economic growth.
The administration must approach negotiations with Japan with more than just tariff reductions in mind. Reductions would achieve little in a country that already has very low tariffs but very closed markets.
In addition, the administration has announced its intention to make the TPP an “open” agreement so new trading partners can join later. Does that mean that any Pacific region nation, regardless of its commitment to democracy, human rights and labor rights, will be allowed into the TPP? If so, this could severely restrict the ability of the United States to address these paramount issues through trade sanctions in countries like Burma and Bangladesh. At a minimum, the president and Congress should ensure that all trading partners have a democratic form of government and provide their workers with fundamental labor rights as set out in the International Labor Organization core conventions . At a time of high unemployment, wage stagnation and little economic growth, the TPP must finally put the creation of well-paying jobs ahead of stockholder dividends for the very few.
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