Minnesota CWA Activists Target Secretive Trade Talks

Activists encourage their congressman to stop the secretive trade deal.

CWA activists in Minnesota aren't going to stand by and watch another massive, secret trade agreement wreak havoc on the lives of American workers. That's why they're raising awareness about the proposed Trans Pacific Partnership and pressuring Republican Rep. John Kline to stop the deal.

"This is a people's movement that's holding our representatives accountable," said Mona Meyer, CWA's Minnesota State Council president.

The proposed agreement, or TPP, could endanger consumer safeguards, health care, education and environmental standards. It threatens to put more jobs at risk, allowing businesses to offshore, drive down wages and cut benefits. That's why it's being negotiated by corporate lobbyists behind closed doors – concealed from the public and even some members of Congress.

In recent weeks, CWA activists have canvassed precincts within Kline's district, gathering input and signatures on letters against the trade deal. They knocked on hundreds of doors and collected more than 50 constituent letters asking Kline to secure a copy of the trade deal's text and share it publically.

Last Thursday, 55 CWA activists and members of TakeAction Minnesota descended on Kline's Burnsville office to deliver the letters, telling the congressman to vote against "fast tracking" the agreement when Congress puts it up for a vote in October. The rallying cry was "fair trade or no trade deal."

CWA and TakeAction Minnesota activists rally outside of Rep. John Kline's home office.

"Everyone in this room is fighting for the American dream, but with fast-tracking the TPP, it's taking the American dream across the seas and taking our jobs away from not just labor, but every working American in this country," CWA Local 7200 President Dan Jerde told Kline's staff. "I'm opposed to this and want Mr. Kline to provide me with the information on the TPP, these secret deals and everything else that's going on behind closed doors. I'm a president of a local of 1,500 people and if you want to see the 1,500 people coming down here every weekend, we will start doing that until we get our answers." Watch the full video of the letter delivery here.

Kline's staff said they did not have a copy of the text and would not comment on Kline's current position on the trade deal.

Unsatisfied with the response, Meyer said activists are already planning on phone banking and sending postcards to hammer their message home. In the future, CWAers aim to invite Kline to a town hall meeting to talk about the TPP and answer constituent questions.

"We know that our opponents have the money, but we have the people," Meyer said. "The struggle we're facing is one we're facing together with coalition partners. We don't feel like CWA is alone. We have lots of good friends standing with us and there's so much engagement on this issue around the Twin Cities. Corporate interests will try to divide us. So we all need to work together or we'll all be working for less."

According to the Economic Policy Institute, Kline's congressional district lands in the top 25 nationally for offshoring of jobs because of the U.S. trade deficit, with close to 11,000 jobs lost since 2001.

"Even self-identifying conservatives and Kline supporters in this district are against this secret trade deal," said Chad Perkins, executive vice president of CWA Local 7250. "They are very upset and have a lot of questions about how this deal will affect them and their families."