North C arolin a Polic y Wa t c h Cru cial Co nv ersa tion

The Trans-Pa cific Partnership: Worse than NAFTA?

Septemb er 2013 Lori Walla ch
Public Citizen’s Global Trade Watch

Outcomes of 20 Ye ars of NAFTA, WTO, FTAs…
Crushing of Americ an Middle Class: more than 5 million US manufa cturing jobs (1 out of 4) & 60,000 US manufa cturing fa cilities gone. Millions of service sector jobs offshored: c all centers, computer, programming, engineering, a cc ounting.

Wage “arbitrage” in a ra ce- to-the- bottom. U.S. re al median wages at ‘70s levels. Income inequality at Robb er-Baron-era levels.

When manufa cturing, good jobs go tax bases shrink – and schools, public services, infrastructure cut, and construction sector unemployment soars.

Floods of unsafe imported food, products.

Financial deregulation, instability and repe ated financial crises.

He alth, labor, land use, other public interest laws around world atta cked in foreign tribunals. Some dump ed. Initiatives chilled. Billions extra cted from taxpayers and paid to corporations for violations of new “rights.”

Drug prices up. In poor nations, de adly cut in a cce ss to meds. Rich nation higher prices slam poor consumers, govt budg ets as Big PhRMA profits soar.
U.S. loses 170,000 family farms. In ‘12, volume of U.S. food exports only 1% higher than ’95 (when NAFTA-WTO started). Imports of food now 97% above ‘95 level.

Livelihoods of tens of millions of pe asant farmers destroyed, mass migrations, hunger incre ased. Growth rates decline in nations that follow NAFTA-WTO model.

U.S. In c ome Ine q u ality a t Levels not See n Sin c e Ro bb er Baron Era
Incre ased inequality is prediction of free trade theory, question is degree of effect

Trade affects types of jobs available in U.S., wage levels
DoL: average manufa cturing worker displa ce d went from e arning $40,154 to