Issues, Florida Chapter

Trade

The Trade Committee seeks to protect environmental protection legistation and lessen the demand for corporations to reduce Greenspace, farmland, water resources. "Free" Trade rules undermined Democracy both in Florida and elsewhere. These rules are written by large corporations and promoted by governments (mainly by the U.S.) to enrich large transnational corporations and trade attorneys by dismantling environmental and labor protections that they consider "barriers" to trade.

The problem with these rules is that they cannot be challenged in a court of law; they are decided by unelected trade representatives who have a history of ruling in favor of corporations. Trade disputes have already cost governments millions of dollars in awards to corporations. Additionally, there is an insidious effect of these rulings: the mere threat of a trade challenge will dissuade governments from enforcing or enacting environmental protections in order to avoid costly compensations to foreign corporations.

Free trade encourages obtaining goods from countries that have the lowest environmental and labor standards. In Florida, it will encourage urban sprawl, and accelerate the loss of farmland. Moreover, the transition from subsistence farming and local economies to global ones creates more unsustainable trans-global shipments, accelerating Global Warming.

Threats

"Free" trade laws allow corporations to plunder the environment by declaring the following laws barriers to trade:

• Mining restrictions or cleanup regulations
• Fishing quotas, bycatch rules, etc.
• Acceleration of deforestation (e.g. The Boreal Forest and the Amazon)
• Banning harmful chemicals from the environment
• Limits on new housing or commercial developments
• Limits on the amount of water removed from an ecosystem
• Bans on water supply privatization
• State or local government procurement regulations (e.g. contract must be awarded to lowest bidder and their environmental or safety record cannot be considered).

Many specific examples are available at http://flfairtrade.org/

The drive to expand shipping ports and widen roads is driven by increased trade. Global warming also increases as more goods are shipped internationally rather than locally.

Opportunities

There is a great opportunity to build coalitions with labor unions, which traditionally are opposed to "free" trade treaties because they export jobs to foreign countries where worker safety and other worker rights are undermined.

Goals

Educate Florida Sierrans, the public, and elected officials on the downside of "free" trade treaties. Write letters to the editors, and become a consultation resource for Sierrans who need to be educated on trade issues.

Legislation

During this Federal legislative session (probably in May), Congress is expected to vote on a trade deal with Peru, in a divide-and-conquer strategy to pass the Andean Free Trade Agreement (AFTA). Florida should work with the SC National Trade Office in DC to oppose unfair trade treaties.

Allies and Opponents

Due to pressure from labor unions and the colossal track record of NAFTA, some politicians are coming out against free trade agreements. The CAFTA vote in 2005 was largely opposed by Democrats, and supported by most republicans. Big Sugar and some farmers in the Great Planes are opposed to free trade treaties, as they threaten their government subsidies. Their representatives reflect that attitude, regardless of party affiliation.

Further Actions

Our plans include:

• Maintaining a close relationship with the Florida Fair Trade Coalition (FFTC), the SC National Trade Committee, and the SC National Trade staff in DC.
• Attending the 2006 Florida Fair Trade Coalition Conference

Recent Achievements

Allied with the Florida Fair Trade Coalition, we were able to get a number of Florida Congressional Reps to oppose CAFTA. We came very close to defeating CAFTA last year. It took some very strong coercion by Republicans to get Congress Reps to change their vote to support CAFTA.

A large protest was held in Fort Lauderdale in June 2005 to oppose the Organization of American States (OAS) support for "free" trade regulations. The protest united the Sierra Club with labor unions, Haitians, and the Green Party in opposition to unfair trade treaties.

What Can You Do?

Oppose the anti-democratic trade treaties.

Write letters to the editor (contact me for help).

Watch for trade treaty email action alerts, and contact elected officials.