What are 3 things that would make any trade agreement acceptable to those opposing TPP?

[think]

37. Bomb them? Good grief. Can we be realistic here and not engage is sensationalization?

And rather discuss what the unions have stated as actual problems and solutions to these issues?

AFL-CIO’s Trumka: USTR Told Us Murder Isn’t A Violation Under U.S. Trade Deals



~Snip~

But Trumka charged that the labor standards included in those trade deals are poorly enforced, and that before he would back the White House’s push for the Trans-Pacific Partnership or the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, he wanted to see tougher labor provisions that could be enforced.

“When you say, ‘Oh these are some standards, they’re better than no standards,’ we were told by by the (United States Trade Representative) general counsel that murdering a trade unionist doesn’t violate these standards, that perpetuating violence against a trade unionist doesn’t violate these agreements,” Trumka said, directing his remarks to Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.), who backs the deals.

Trumka pointed specifically to the Colombia trade pact that was signed in 2006, but passed by Congress in 2011. Trumka said that even after the Obama administration crafted an agreement to tighten labor protections four years ago, some 105 labor organizers have been killed, and more than 1,300 have been threatened with death.

“Excuse me. Excuse me if I’m not willing to accept that standard.” Trumka said....

Read more:

Enforcement Plan Fails to End Murders, Violence Against Trade Unionists in Guatemala

This week, the U.S. government made the deeply troubling decision to grant the government of Guatemala four additional months to come into compliance with “Mutually Agreed Enforcement Action Plan between the Government of the United States and the Government of Guatemala,” signed between the two countries in April 2013. The plan was enacted in response to a 2008 complaint filed by the AFL-CIO and six Guatemalan unions under the labor provisions of the Dominican Republic–Central American Free Trade Agreement (DR-CAFTA), which requires that countries “effectively enforce”their own labor laws. For years, Guatemala has done nothing of the kind, a fact and confirmed by a 2009 investigation conducted by the U.S. Department of Labor. In addition to persistent violence and impunity, workers face extreme barriers to enforcing the law against unscrupulous employers, who often pay below legal wages or skirt required benefits, including overtime, social security payments and severance, knowing the government will not hold them accountable. The plan was supposed to be completely implemented by April 2014.

As detailed in an April 19 letter from the AFL-CIO and a broad coalition of Guatemalan unions, the plan has done nothing to improve the situation on the ground over the last year, and there is no indication that a four-month extension will yield better results. Under CAFTA, a persistent failure to honor labor commitments should lead to an independent arbitral panel. The decision to instead grant yet more time further delays justice for Guatemalan workers and calls into question the U.S. government’s commitment to bringing real meaning to the labor provisions in trade agreements.

Egregious violence against union activists continues. Marlon Dagoberto Vásquez López, a 19-year-old youth leader and member of the construction workers’ union of Guatemala (Sindicato Nacional de Trabajadores de la Construcción y Servicios de Guatemala), was murdered Jan. 5. Four other Guatemalan trade unionists have been assassinated this year, and many more have been subjected to threats and intimidation.

Required reform measures have not been enacted. Labor inspectors hired under the plan have come forward to report that they have not been given adequate resources to do their job. Employers continue to evade legal responsibilities and rob workers of hard-earned wages and pensions. Judgments against companies, which in themselves are still a rarity, often go uncollected. Workers continue to report that the Ministry of Labor and judges often refuse to even hear their cases....

Read more:
http://www.aflcio.org/Blog/Global-Action/Enforcement-Plan-Fails-to-End-Murders-Violence-Against-Trade-Unionists-in-Guatemala

Global Labor Movement

Working people around the world are united by the dignity of work. They are also facing many of the same issues. They’re struggling with massive levels of unemployment and an unrelenting global push to lower wages and living standards.

By joining together in a global network, workers have built the strength to advance workers’ rights and improve their ability to organize and collectively bargain in the global economy. In partnering with working people around the world, the AFL-CIO addresses labor law reform, files international claims for failure to respect labor provisions of trade and preference agreements and negotiates stronger labor language in trade agreements.

Currently, we are working to improve the labor laws in Colombia, Panama, Vietnam, Malaysia, Georgia, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. We recently filed a complaint against Guatemala under the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) and may file similar cases against Honduras, Costa Rica and Peru. We also are coordinating a global trade union coalition to urge the adoption of stronger labor language in new trade agreements, such as the Trans Pacific Free Trade Agreement...

Read more:
http://www.aflcio.org/Learn-About-Unions/Global-Labor-Movement