Steelworkers Slighted as Corporate Money Fuels Democrats' Pro Fast Track Vote

Despite promises, "pro-labor" Democrats vote yes on TPP - June 21, 2015

Transcript:

JESSICA DESVARIEUX, CAPITOL HILL CORRESPONDENT, TRNN: Protesters on June 17 encouraged House lawmakers to vote no on granting President Obama fast-track authority for the Trans-Pacific Partnership. But in the end, fast-track passed by a slim margin of 218-208 votes. 28 Democrats voted in favor of it, while nearly twice that number of Republicans voted against it.

Lawmakers like Democratic Congressman Alan Grayson made an effort to single out those Democrats who pushed for its passage.

REP. ALAN GRAYSON (D-FL): We are Congressmen. We are responsible and we take an oath of office to debate, to amend, to do oversight and hold hearings. We can't do any of that under the fast-track procedures. All we can do is rubber-stamp whatever is called a trade agreement.

DESVARIEUX: The trade agreement, which is being negotiated in secret, will have real consequences for workers in the steel industry. Thousands of them are already feeling the consequences of current trade deals like the U.S.-Korean Free Trade Agreement. Since its passage in 2012 an estimated 75,000 jobs have been lost, mostly in manufacturing. That's because U.S. steel is directly competing with South Korean steel, which is a cheaper product to make and is now being sold under market value.

This continues to happen with other countries like China, which overproduces steel and is sending excess steel overseas in a process known as dumping. Steel manufacturers say they cannot compete with these countries if the playing field is not even. Reports show Chinese steel manufacturers are even selling at a loss.

President Obama has already hinted that China could become a member of the TPP.

PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: Well, they've already started putting out feelers about the possibilities of them participating at some point.

DESVARIEUX: But unions like the United Steelworkers are concerned that more trade agreements will lead to more dumping and fewer jobs.

LEO GERARD, PRESIDENT, UNITED STEELWORKERS: We have over 4,000 steelworkers that have now had to apply for trade adjustment assistance. We have 1,000 steelworkers since the decision by Congress, have now received layoff notices, have reduced hours. So what I really expect is, I expect the President to go into South Korea and tell the South Korean government that they need to stop dumping into our market. 78 percent of the steel coming into the U.S. is coming from China and South Korea. We just set a record this last two months of steel coming from South Korea and from other parts of the world into our market in two months.

DESVARIEUX: But with these type of statistics, why would members who claim to be pro-labor support fast-track? Fast-track approval passed the House with just two votes.

One of the votes came from Democratic Representative Terri Sewell of Alabama. She's participated in pro-union rallies like this one, where she comes out against import dumping and in support of workers' rights.

REP. TERRI SEWELL: It's unacceptable that we're having so many imports dumped right here in America when we have steel made in Fairfield, Alabama by wonderful American workers. It is so important. And so I want you to know that we're putting partisanship aside today because we're sending a loud and clear voice that we're standing up for things being made in America, and made in Alabama, by American workers like yourself.

DESVARIEUX: Members of District 9 United Steelworkers Local lobbied hard for Representative Sewell to be against fast-track. They say she promised to be on their side, but in the end she changed her stance.



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