Declare your town a TPP-Free Zone

by Nancy Price, Earth Democracy Issue Committee

Assert community rights over corporate rights. WILPF activists are launching, in collaboration with the Alliance for Democracy, the second round of the “We Will Not Obey” TPP-Free Zone campaign.

Now that Congress has passed Fast Track, President Obama is rushing to conclude the TPP Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations by the end of July, before the August Congressional recess. Fast Track or TPA (Trade Promotion Authority) has passed Congress, but Earth Democracy and Corporations v. Democracy have not given up on defeating the TPP: Trans-Pacific Partnership.

At the end of July, ministers of the 12 Pacific Rim countries meet and hope to sign-off on the TPP, even though very serious differences remain between the U.S. and other TPP countries.  Fast Track requires the text be released for 60 days before the clock starts ticking on the Fast Track vote and Congress members (both the House and the Senate) have a maximum of 90 days in which to bring the TPP to a vote. Because of this and the August Congressional recess, and other Fast Track rules, it is estimated that the TPP could not be voted on by Congress until late October.

This leaves plenty time to get many more local TPP-Free Zone Resolutions passed to make clear to our senators, representatives, and the president that We the People want fair trade for the 21st Century, not more global corporate rule by free trade agreement. 

Join New York City, Seattle, San Francisco, Pittsburgh and other cities and declare your independence from corporate rule. Learn more about the campaign, model municipal resolutions and more here www.freezones.org   To learn more about the TPP, call the Alliance for Democracy’s national office 781-894-1179 for your copy of AfD’s Justice Rising: World Citizenry Takes on Corporate Global Rule. Let’s work together on a WILPF handout that shows how the issues WILPF works on will be seriously impacted if Congress passes the TPP in the late fall

It’s important to assemble a local coalition of climate, environmental, labor, health care and other groups to assess whether your city council is likely to support such a resolution and to build broad organizational and grassroots effort. You want a unanimous or at the very least a decisive majority “yes” vote by the city council. A defeat will only hand pro-free-traders and the media a victory to claim support for the TPP.

It’s worth noting that on the morning of the Seattle City Council vote, President Obama and some of his Cabinet called Seattle City Council members; such outside lobbying turned their “No” or wavering votes into strong “Yeses” and the resolution passed unanimously. 

Now’s the time to get started on local TPP-Free Zones. If you have questions about how to get started, please email Nancy Price at nancytprice39 (at) gmail.com.