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American trade policy should strengthen, not weaken, the health, environment, food sovereignty, working conditions, labor rights, and transparent, competitive market principles of this country and all countries. WORC supports a trade system that strengthens the health, environment, food sovereignty, working conditions and labor rights of all countries. Vibrant national economies are essential to a healthy global community.
WORC promotes fair trade by organizing its members to protest the corporate-driven trade deals that put rural America at risk. They are working to preserve local control and promote fair trade policies. Therefore, trade agreements must be negotiated in an open and public manner. Currently trade negotiations largely happen behind closed doors. The very people these agreements impact most have no voice in this process.
U.S. Department of Agriculture has proposed to declare regions of foreign countries with animal disease problems as "disease free." WORC opposes any efforts by the government of the United States or our trading partners to allow regionalization of foreign countries with animal disease problems.
Read WORC's letter to U.S. Trade Representative.
WORC members are calling on all Senators and Representatives to vote against any trade agreement that does not promote these fair trade principles described in WORC' s Trade Bill of Rights (pdf).
In 2005, over 80% of the Senators and Representatives from WORC states supported American sovereignty by voting against the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA). Under extreme pressure from the Bush administration, CAFTA passed Congress by just a couple of votes. Now, the same multinational corporate interests and the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) continue to push for trade pacts that use CAFTA's model.
The Peru FTA was introduced after negotiations with two other Andean countries, Ecuador and Columbia fell apart. Although this trade agreement is now a stand alone agreement, USTR hopes that Ecuador and Columbia will eventually sign on to the agreement. More about the Peru FTA
The Oman Free Trade Agreement cleared its final hurdle in mid-September when the Senate passed the agreement, 63-31. This agreement includes the same dangerous provisions of CAFTA in regard to the Investor-to-State provisions. More about the Oman FTA.
The USTR is also in the final stages of negotiating a free trade agreement with Thailand. Despite Thailand's promises that it will open some imports of U.S. beef into the Kingdom, the Thailand FTA poses big problems for other agricultural sectors like sugar and rice. More about the Thailand FTA
The Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) is a regional agreement between the U.S., the Dominican Republic and five Central American Countries: Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. The Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) is a regional agreement between the U.S., the Dominican Republic and five Central American Countries: Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. CAFTA passed Congress by only 2 votes last year, but has yet to be implemented.
Members of WORC continue to organize to stop
multi-lateral trade agreements like the Free Trade Area of the
Americas (FTAA).
- The FTAA includes all countries in the Western Hemisphere except for Cuba, and is undoubtedly the most far-reaching trade agreement in history. Read WORC's factsheet
- CAFTA is one of the stepping-stones toward FTAA. In includes six Central American countries: El Salvador, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Honduras, Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic. Read WORC's factsheet
Both agreements are based on the failed model
of NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement), but go beyond that
agreement in scope and power.
Our members are concerned about the following
principles of fair trade and work toward agreements that uphold:
- Countries’ rights to preserve
family farms and promote global food security
- Strong labor, environmental and public health
standards
- Fair and democratic negotiations processes that allow for public input by the very people affected by the agreements.
WORC's Trade Tool Kit includes a variety of resources designed to assist you in sharing the message of Fair Trade with members, allies, potential members and elected officials
Investor to state fact sheet describes current trade policy and models that let foreign companies sue local, state and national governments over laws protecting the health and safety of your family. To make matters worse, three unelected bureaucrats decide these cases—not U.S. courts and not U.S. jurors.
- explores why changes in US agricultural policy
produce declining revenues;
- demonstrates that solutions to globally low
commodity prices involve more than ending subsidies; and
- offers a plan to raise crop prices worldwide.
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