TRADE Act in Congress: Take Action!

New trade legislation was introduced in the U.S. Congress last month that lays out a concrete plan for comprehensive reform in the way trade agreements will be negotiated in the future as well as the review and re-negotiation of existing trade pacts such as NAFTA, CAFTA and the WTO according to fair trade principles and benchmarks. The Trade Reform, Accountability, Development and Employment Act is co-sponsored by Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) and Rep. Mike Michaud (D-Maine. Write your congressperson and ask that they become a co-sponsor of this landmark legislation.

The fair trade movement in the U.S. is generally far too concerned about promoting the consumption of fair trade products; this often distracts from the important work of organizing efforts to change the trade policies that create the need for alternative trade approaches. This legislation represents a major chance for the fair trade movement to direct fuller attention at reforming the policy environment and power structure that creates the inequality, trade imbalances and shortcomings that have become so endemic to the dominant model of neoliberalist economic globalization.