Leaks Reveal Trans-Atlantic Trade Negotiators Want Another Deal By and For the 1 Percent

This week Greenpeace released a series of leaked documents on the ongoing Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) trade talks, shining a light on the secretive negotiations that could lower standards governing workers' rights, the environment, public health and food safety.

Unfortunately, U.S. trade negotiators seem uninterested in using TTIP as a way to share prosperity among workers, corporations and communities in partner countries.

"It's the Trans-Pacific Partnership all over again, another trade deal being negotiated by and for the 1 percent," said CWA President Chris Shelton.

"Negotiators are looking to weaken workers' rights, environmental protections, consumer protections, and the ability of nations to act in the best interests of their citizens. There was some hope that TTIP could improve workers' rights in the U.S., and raise them to the standards that EU nations follow. The reports just made public by Greenpeace show that for U.S. negotiators, TTIP is business as usual, with corporations writing the trade deal to benefit their own bottom line."

"Because U.S. negotiators have refused to make their proposals available for public scrutiny, we're forced to rely on leaks for information. We share Greenpeace's concerns that TTIP is clearing the way 'for a race to the bottom in environmental, consumer protection and public health standards,'" Shelton said.

CWA has raised concerns that big banks are looking to use TTIP to roll back or side-step U.S. regulation of the banking industry, including the Dodd-Frank legislation, to benefit financial corporations on both sides of the Atlantic. The Investor State Dispute Settlement process, which would give more rights and privileges to corporations and investors, also has no place in TTIP or any other trade deal, CWA has declared. Several EU nations already have pushed back against the insistence of U.S. negotiators that this "secret tribunal" process be included in TTIP, and CWA and allies will continue to fight against the inclusion of these provisions in TTIP, as we did for TPP.

The Association of Flight Attendants-CWA also has pointed out that TTIP could give EU nations more access to the U.S. domestic market and increase foreign ownership and control of U.S. airlines, harming U.S. aviation, Flight Attendants' job security and aviation security.

If the U.S. Trade Representative truly wants to "position the U.S. and the EU to work together to push standards higher around the world," as it claims, negotiators should stop efforts to undermine existing EU standards that actually address environmental and public health issues. Working people in the U.S. and EU nations don't want another TPP.