NYC Declared "TPP-free" Zone

The movement against the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) is growing. On April 28, the New York City Council voted to pass Councilwoman Helen Rosenthal’s resolution declaring the city a “TPP-free zone” and urging Congress to reject “Fast Track” legislation for the trade deal.

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A coalition of organizations including CWA, Sierra Club NYC Group, New York City Central Labor Council, New York State AFL-CIO, Food & Water Watch, TradeJustice, MoveOn.org, NY Communities for Change, VOCAL-NY and Working Families Party supported the resolution.

CWA members from Local 1101, 1105, 1106, and 1109 were out in full force at City Hall to support the resolution when it passed.

"New York City, a global city, is standing up to stop the TPP, which would destroy jobs, threaten food safety and the environment, raise prescription drug prices, and gut consumer protections from Wall Street banks, " said Chris Shelton, vice president of CWA District 1. "We are all united to derail Fast Track.”

New York City joins a growing number of cities opposing the TPP, including Los Angeles, Seattle, San Francisco, and many others.

This decision comes on the heels of Mayor Bill de Blasio criticizing the TPP as a “raw deal” and "huge mistake.” Eric Schneiderman, attorney general of New York State, has sounded the alarm about the Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) part of the deal that would allow multinational corporations to sue the United States. “It is particularly worrisome to those of us in states, such as New York, with robust laws that protect the public welfare — laws that could be undermined by the TPP and its dispute settlement provision,” Schneiderman wrote in a recent op-ed.

“To be sure, this is a symbolic gesture. We cannot tell President Obama what to do. This is New York City, and there is no question in my mind that our laws, our hard fought victories for protecting the lives of all New Yorkers will be at risk if he signs the TPP. And to the extent that we putting it on a fast track where there would be no input from Americans and no opportunities to amend what’s in there is absolutely deplorable,” said Helen Rosenthal, the City Council member explaining why she introduced the resolution.