TPP Trade Deal: Most US Workers Likely To Lose Out, Report Finds‏

[n2doc]

By CEPR -- (September 10, 2013)

A new report from the Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR) finds that most U.S. workers would experience a net negative impact from the proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal currently under negotiation.

The paper, “Gains from Trade? The Net Effect of the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement on U.S. Wages,” by economist David Rosnick uses economic modeling results that are widely-cited by proponents of the agreement. These recent estimates of the U.S. economic gains that would result from the TPP are very small—only 0.13 percent of GDP by 2025. This paper finds that taking into account the effect of the agreement on wage inequality, the median wage earner would lose as a result of any such agreement.

“Most U.S. workers are likely to lose out from the TPP,” CEPR Co-Director Mark Weisbrot said today. “This may come as no surprise after 20 years of NAFTA and an even-longer period of trade policy designed to put lower- and middle-class workers in direct competition with low-paid workers in the developing world, but it’s still important to examine the economic projections.”

By examining economic modeling done by researchers Peter Petri, Michael Plummer, and Fan Zhai, the paper finds that “it would take only a very small contribution to inequality due to trade to wipe out all of the gains that most workers would get from this agreement.” Because of such an “un-equalizing effect of trade on wages” – and considering that the GDP gains are expected to be so small – the paper finds that the median wage earner in the U.S. will probably experience a net loss were the TPP to be implemented.

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http://www.albanytribune.com/10092013-tpp-trade-deal-most-us-workers-likely-to-lose-out-report-finds%E2%80%8F/

[djean111]

1. There cannot possibly be a sane defense of the TPP.

Not looking forward to the attempts to do so.

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

4. It'll just be ignored. Then when it can't be ignored any longer you'll get some

cheesy ass explanation of why it's actually good for workers.

[R. Daneel Olivaw]

2. "largely been kept secret..."

The TPP is currently being negotiated among the U.S., Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, and Vietnam. The text of the draft agreement has largely been kept secret, including from most legislators, but those who have seen it, such as Representative Alan Grayson (D – FL), have confirmed that it is modeled on NAFTA and similar U.S. trade agreements.

"Trust us. We wouldn't do anything to American workers that we haven't done to workers in other countries."

[Enthusiast]

26. It's been kept secret

because it is a betrayal of the American workers. Just like Evil Cheney's secret energy meetings.

[R. Daneel Olivaw]

28. What happened to transparency?

[riderinthestorm]

3. K&R & Bookmarked. Way too important to drop off the front page of DU today. nt

[pa28]

5. It's no accident each jobs recovery is slower than the last.

Yet our own politicians keep giving corporate interests exactly what they want and act like it's a big mystery.

[Jackpine Radical]

11. …and that deplorable latest line is just jobs data; it doesn't take into consideration

the median loss in wages. High-paying jobs of the past are being replaced with burger-flipping minimum-wage, benefitless, part-time jobs.

[silvershadow]

6. TPP sells out what is left of our national sovereignty. nt

[Romulox]

7. Same as NAFTA. Why do you think people will care, this time, when they obviously didn't then?

I've had multiple DUers tell me they support NAFTA, which wiped out my community.

[n2doc]

8. More people now understand the 'Free Trade" experience

There will all ways be "free trade" shills. Hopefully they are much fewer now.

[Romulox]

10. Right. Like the DUers with "Solidarity!" sig lines who brag on their Hyundais?

[lunasun]

15. Hopefully they are much fewer now. ...........

Dream a little dream for me

[durablend]

9. Clearly the same will be the case this time

"Obama knows what's best for us...trust him...he got this"

[Enthusiast]

25. I trust the President.

[L0oniX]

12. We are all going to be serving tea and mowing lawns for the 1%. Will Obama save us?

[AnotherMcIntosh]

13. Where's the defense of this with a bunch of blue links?

[n2doc]

14. I think they are counting on secrecy to save their butts

Once it is a fait accompli, then you will see the 'benefits' touted.

[TBF]

24. She got pummelled on Syria -

but I have no doubt she'll be ready with mounds of information on the "benefits of TPP".

Problem is she never defines that her objective is to benefit the 1%.

[HomerRamone]

16. DUH nt

[fasttense]

17. As a small farmer this will practically kill us.

Right now we make ends meet because of people who want local organic foods. We sell to people who want to know how their food is raised. They want to know the chickens laying their eggs aren't tortured by being put in tiny little cages and fed arsenic to make the center of the eggs yellow and make the chicken grow faster. They want food with no poisonous pesticides and artificial chemical fertilizers. We sell at a farmer's market that only allows farmers who grow or raise their own. There is no reselling allowed. It's the only thing that is keeping us afloat right now. If TPP is passed, it will open up our market to foreign corporate competition, or it will close down the market.

We can't sell to grocery stores because they are mostly chain corporations that have contracts with factory farmers or whole sale middle men that give you pennies for your produce. We can't sell to schools and institutions because if they are NOT contracting out their food services to some corporation that buys in quantities from factory farmers, they are required by contracts and government regs to buy from the USDA. We can't sell to the USDA because even if you can meet their bizarre quality standards which gives you so much culls and seconds you might as well not farm, (you try growing organic fruits or vegetables and see how perfect they aren't) their prices suck. The only people who can make a living off the USDA prices are big factory farms who can grow a ton at a time and even if they get pennies on a bushel, they still make a profit.

What I'm trying to say is all the markets are closed out to the small farmer by corporations and the USDA who prefer to do business with factory farms. If TPP passes then promoting buy local will be illegal.

Corporations have taken over ever avenue of sales and now they are coming for the farmer's markets too.

[pa28]

20. You should make this an OP. n/t

[Egalitarian Thug]

27. I understand and agree with pa28. You should write this out as an OP.

Hardly anyone in America has a clue about the realities of farming in America today.

[djean111]

18. I think the only worshipful poo left to fling will be "Well, Clinton! Big Dog! NAFTA!" or

"the republicans would have done even worse!!!!!".
That lesser of two evils gap is getting smaller.
And the TPP may just(ly) sink Hillary.

How to dismantle a nation with one secretive document.

[Populist_Prole]

19. K&R to bump

This is the one issue we stop the plutocrats on. Pressure from the bottom up did it with the Syrian issue. This si even more important and more likely to resonate with the public at large.

[BelgianMadCow]

21. I woke up an editor of a newspaper over here about the TPP and the transatlantic sister

using info from DU. He has been writing about it on and off. Time for a reminder.

thanks for the post, bookmarked!

[truebrit71]

22. K&R

[TBF]

23. Thank you for posting this -

I have put it up a couple times as well. I really think we need to watch what they are doing with this and defeat it. If we thought NAFTA was bad this is going to be as bad or worse.

[woo me with science]

29. kick

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

30. K&R nt

[riderinthestorm]

31. PM Kick! nt

[whttevrr]

32. Is this rrue? "If TPP passes then promoting buy local will be illegal."

[Joe Shlabotnik]

33. K&R n/t

[jsr]

34. "Free Trade" = Increased Profit for owners + Race to the Bottom for workers.