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Andy Levin on Free Trade
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Need trade policy to support workers, planet, not free trade
Politicians are wrong when they overlook American workers' frustration over the series of bad trade deals and economic policies pursued by China and others. It's time for a new trade regime aimed not at freeing capital to move all the work where wages
are lowest, worker safety regulations are the weakest and environmental protections lacking, but rather at raising the standard of living for workers in all countries involved and protecting our one, precious planet everywhere.
Source: 2018 website AndyLevinForCongress.com for MI-9 election
, Apr 4, 2019
Make increasing living standards a part of all trade deals
Throughout the summer and fall, we are going to take a look at the best candidates for working people. Today, we feature Michigan congressional candidate Andy Levin. Here are some of the key reasons why Levin is one of the best candidates for working
people in 2018: - Levin wants to make increasing living standards a part of all trade deals.
- He favors raising the minimum wage.
- In Congress, he will stand up for trade policies that protect the rights of working people and raise the
standard of living for workers in all countries that are involved.
- He said he wants to change tax policies to stop incentivizing outsourcing.
- He wants comprehensive immigration reform with a clear pathway to citizenship and wants to end family
separations at the border.
- In Michigan, he became the state's first chief workforce officer and created a program, "No Worker Left Behind," which helped more than 162,000 Michiganders get workforce training and another 120,000 get new jobs.
Source: 2018 AFL-CIO press release on Congressional MI-9 election
, Sep 28, 2018
Oppose USMCA until more environmental & job protections.
Levin voted NAY USMCA Implementation Act
Summary from Congressional Record and Wikipedia:Vote to amend the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and establish the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). Rather than a wholly new agreement, it has been characterized as "NAFTA 2.0"; final terms were negotiated on September 30, 2018 by each country. The agreement is scheduled to come into effect on July 1, 2020.
Case for voting YES by Rep. Charlie Crist (D-FL); (Dec. 19, 2019)The USMCA includes stronger protections for American workers and enforceable labor standards, as well as environmental protections. It eliminates the Trump Administration's threat that the US could walk away entirely from the trade agreement with Canada and Mexico, which would devastate US jobs and our economy.
Case for voting NO by Jared Huffman (D-CA); (Dec. 19, 2019) Democratic negotiators did a lot to improve Donald Trump's weak trade deal, especially in terms of labor standards and enforcement, but the final deal did not reach the high standard that I had hoped for. The NAFTA renegotiations were a once-in-a-generation opportunity to lift labor and environmental standards across the continent--to lock in serious climate commitments with two of our largest trading partners and dramatically improve labor standards and enforcement to slow the rise of outsourcing.
Legislative outcome: Bill Passed (Senate) (89-10-1) - Jan. 16, 2020; bill Passed (House) (385-41-5) - Dec. 19, 2019; signed at the G20 Summit simultaneously by President Trump, Mexican President Enrique Nieto, and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Nov. 30, 2018
Source: Congressional vote 19-HR5430 on Dec 19, 2019
Page last updated: Jan 15, 2022