Breaking: House Leaders Pull Fast One on Fast Track

Last week, members of the House rejected one gimmick to jam Fast Track through the House, but today, House leadership used another to resurrect Fast Track. The standalone Fast Track billed passed by a vote of 218-208, and the same 28 Democrats who said yes to the flawed Fast Track bill last week did it again today.

CWA's statement said:

Those members of the House of Representatives who voted for Fast Track trade authority today have seriously misjudged the voice and will of the American people.

The House leadership used a cheap trick to resurrect a bad deal that the House already had overwhelmingly rejected. Fast Track supporters rejected the voices of millions of Americans, part of a broad coalition of union members and environmentalists, consumer and community activists, seniors, students, people of faith and others who have been telling their representatives for many months that Fast Track is a betrayal of U.S. workers, communities and law.

This vote will be remembered. Americans know who's standing with working families and who's standing with big corporate interests that can't wait to move jobs to countries like Vietnam, where wages are less than $1 an hour.

"Our opponents will do anything to advance corporate trade deals. Fast Track faces more hurdles in the Senate and House, all opportunities for us to fight for fair trade and a global economy where worker and citizen rights matter," said former CWA President Larry Cohen, who is leading the coalition against Fast Track.

CWA President Chris Shelton said, "This vote won't stop us. CWA members, union members and activists from nearly every progressive group are fighting back against this sell-out by some Members of Congress. We expect our representatives to listen to their constituents, and we're taking that same message to the Senate."

CWAers and allies have been thanking those House members – both Democrats and Republicans – who are standing with working families, and are taking that message to senators who again will have the opportunity to show whether they're on the side of big corporations, or the millions of union activists, environmentalists, people of faith, consumer and community groups, students, seniors and so many more, who know that Fast Track is a disaster for U.S. jobs and communities.

Stayed tuned. The Fast Track fight continues.

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Greensboro workers marched into North Carolina Rep. Alma Adams' (D-12th District) office this week to thank her for voting to stop Fast Track. They chanted, "When I say people's, you say champ! People's! Champ! People's! Champ!" Watch the video here.

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In Ohio, activists thanked Rep. Joyce Beatty (D-3rd District) for supporting working families. From left: Jessica Vernon, AFL-CIO, and CWAers Samantha Trueblood, Diane Bailey, Ron McGuire (Beatty's Deputy District Director), Thomas Lee and Dave McCune.

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Back in North Carolina, CWAers and activists thanked Rep. G.K. Butterfield (D-1st District) for listening to constitutents, and presented him with a pair of boxing gloves "because he's the people's champ."

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The AFL-CIO is running Facebook and print ads that thank Democrats who stood with working families.