NAFTA for the Pacific Rim?

Bundled up against near-freezing temperatures, hundreds of activists marched against the Trans-Pacific Partnership on Monday, circling the block at 17th and F Street and then rallying on the front steps of the U.S. Trade Representative’s 17th Street offices. “The TPP is just a part of a broader offensive against all working people,” AFSCME Council 26 Executive Director Carl Goldman told Union City…

“This massive new international trade pact affects working people across all sectors and must be opposed.” CWA 2108’s Jennie Sylvester, after posing for a photo with other CWA members, said she was “Proud to stand in solidarity with our brothers and sisters against this horrible deal. It’s worse than NAFTA!” and Teamsters 639 President Tommy Ratliff, black fedora cocked at a jaunty angle, said the proposed trade deal “will send even more jobs overseas, so we’re out here doing our part to make sure that doesn’t happen.” Activists called for greater transparency in the TPP negotiations, which are being conducted behind closed doors in DC this week. 
- report/photos by Chris Garlock