AFL-CIO blasts U.S. on auto trade talks
David Shepardson
Washington — The president of the AFL-CIO blasted the Obama
administration for not pushing hard enough to protect U.S. auto jobs and
urged trade negotiators to back rules that would make it harder for
Japanese automakers to use more parts built in low wage countries for
export to the United States under a new free trade deal.
Earlier this month, The Detroit News reported long-running talks
aimed at reaching a 12-nation Asia Pacific free trade deal known as the
Trans-Pacific Partnerhip, or TPP, stalled amid a standoff between Japan
and Mexico over autos.
“I hope it is not the case that the Canadian and Mexican negotiators
are actually holding a harder line than our own government on this
issue. But due to the unaccountable lack of transparency from USTR,
absolutely critical decisions are being made without our input or voice.
Thousands of good American jobs and an iconic American industry are at
risk, and we don’t even know what our government’s negotiating position
is,” AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka said in a letter last week to U.S.
Trade Representative Michael Froman obtained by The Detroit News
Wednesday.
Matthew McAlvanah, a spokesman for Froman, said the Obama
administration is “working toward a strong rule of origin in TPP that
meets our objective of making sure that TPP benefits go to TPP countries
and that promotes a vibrant domestic automotive industry and the jobs
it supports. That task requires finding the right balance between the
needs of domestic auto producers, who have made clear that they rely on
international supply chains to be able to produce in the U.S., and our
desire to promote U.S. sourcing and American jobs. In the end, we are
confident that we will come to an agreement that strikes the right
balance.”
