Miami Commissioners Pass Resolution Opposing Secrecy in Trade Deals

Commissioners for the City of Miami have unanimously approved a resolution calling for greater transparency in trade policy-making that affects south Florida's economy, environment and public health.

Their action comes just ten days before negotiators from the U.S. and the European Union meet in Miami for their 11th round of talks on the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), a companion to the just-completed Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), the text of which still remains secret.

Unlike European negotiators, who have made their TTIP proposal public, U.S. negotiators for both TTIP and the TPP have flatly refused to make their proposals available for public scrutiny. They have also blocked composite texts from being published. Meanwhile, they have granted hundreds of corporate lobbyists special "cleared advisor" status that provides them unfettered access to negotiating texts.

"It's shameful that Europeans can learn what their governments are proposing, but Americans cannot," CWA Campaign Lead Fred Frost said. "Government just works better when there's a system of transparency, public participation and collaboration."

CWA worked in a coalition with the Citizens Trade Campaign, Florida Progressive Democrats and AFSCME Local 3292 to get the resolution before the city commissioners. Unions, faith leaders, elected officials, consumer and environmental groups, and community activists will be holding protests, press conferences and briefings to shine a spotlight on the TTIP and other secretive trade deals during the upcoming TTIP negotiations from Oct. 19-23 in downtown Miami. 

Similar resolutions have also been passed in the City of South Miami, the City of Hialeah Gardens and the City of Hallandale Beach, as well as around the nation.

In Miami, members of CWA, IBEW, AFSCME, the South Florida AFL-CIO and Laborers joined community and environmental groups to stop secrecy in trade deals.