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Fair Trade, Not Free Trade
Howie Hawkins supports Fair Trade, not Free Trade |
Howie Hawkins supports a global economy built on principles of economic justice, ecological sustainability, and democratic accountability, one that asserts the interests of people over corporations. This is an economy built around the interests of the real producers and consumers, such as workers, peasants, family farmers, fishers, small and medium sized producers, and around the needs of those marginalized by the current system, such as women and indigenous people.
Such a system must protect, not undermine, cultural, biological, economic and social diversity; put the emphasis on the development of healthy local economies and trade; secure internationally recognized environmental, cultural, social and labor rights; support the sovereignty and self-determination of peoples; and protect national and sub-national democratic decision-making processes.
Hawkins recognizes the fundamental right of countries to develop economic and industrial policies that foster genuine economic development, create decent jobs and protect livelihoods, and enhance the environment. All countries, and especially poorer countries, must have the right to use policy options to increase the capacity of their own productive sectors, particularly small and medium enterprises. Countries must also be able to preserve their ability to shape economic social and environmental development strategies that serve the most vulnerable of their people.
Rather than the Free Trade agenda of America’s two corporate parties, Howie Hawkins promotes Fair Trade, based on the following principles:
• Producers receive a fair price - a living wage. For commodities, farmers receive a stable, minimum price
• Forced labor and exploitative child labor are not allowed
• Buyers and producers trade under direct long-term relationships
• Producers have access to financial and technical assistance
• Sustainable production techniques are encouraged
• Working conditions are healthy and safe
• Equal employment opportunities are provided for all
• All aspects of trade and production are open to public accountability
As U.S. corporations have expanded their global reach they are better able to put the U.S. workforce in direct competition with foreign workers, thus increasing their profits while driving down our wages and general standard of living. By using the rationale of "global competition" to drive down the living standards of the majority, the corporate class has shifted more and more wealth from our pockets to theirs. This growing inequality is producing resentment and rebellion - here and abroad.
Business Week points out that "As cross-border trade and investment flows reach new heights, big global companies are effectively making decisions with little regard to national boundaries. As corporations have developed their ability to tap into a huge global labor pool, they have less need for the social welfare policies of any particular nation. Global companies may want various kinds of subsidies from the government, but when it comes to government regulations that could allow the people to exert control over big business, corporate ideology preaches "free trade," deregulation and the downsizing of government.
Howie Hawkins supports the repeal of organizations like the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), which seek to create shadowy world governments where only the corporations get a vote and are able to override labor, consumer and environmental protections enacted by individual nations. For example, the US Trade Representative gets heavy input for negotiations from 17 "Industry Sector Advisory Committees." Citizen input by consumer, environmental, human rights and labor organizations is consistently ignored. Even simple requests for information are denied, and the proceedings are held in secret. Who elected this secret global government?
Since NAFTA was signed in 1993, the rise in the U.S. trade deficit with Canada and Mexico through 2002 has caused the displacement of production that supported 879,280 U.S. jobs. Most of those lost jobs were high-wage positions in manufacturing industries. The loss of these jobs is just the most visible tip of NAFTA's impact on the U.S. economy. In fact, NAFTA has also contributed to rising income inequality, suppressed real wages for production workers, weakened workers' collective bargaining powers and ability to organize unions, and reduced fringe benefits. NAFTA has also hurt Mexican workers, depressing their wages.
“Free trade” negotiations in the WTO and elsewhere cannot be allowed to continue operating as a Trojan Horse to secure pro-corporate rules on investment, competition, government procurement, market access, agricultural production, domestic regulation of services and intellectual property rights. Neither can the current power dynamics, in which the rich industrialized countries force their economic agenda on poorer countries, be allowed to continue.
The right of governments to adopt the precautionary principle to protect public health, the environment, and agriculture from unknown risks must take precedence over any trade agreements and provisions.
The use of structural adjustment and debt conditionality to force trade liberalization in third world countries and elsewhere must end. The International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, and the regional development banks need to write off all the debts owed to them by developing or transitioning countries so those countries can reallocate these funds to meet the urgent needs of their people.
International trade must affirm that the right to food is a basic human right. The WTO Agreement on Agriculture (AOA) subordinates this right to corporate profitability. The food system promoted by the WTO is built on industrialized and capital-intensive, export-driven agriculture that is furthering corporate concentration along the food chain and undermining the livelihoods, rights, health and living and working conditions of agricultural and food workers and thus further undermining food security. Moreover, it fails to recognize that farming is a way of life and an important basis of community and culture,
Every day over $1 trillion dollars circles the globe in currency trade - wreaking havoc on low-economy nations - without obligation to sustainable investment. Hawkins supports restricting the unfettered flow of capital and currency trade, and levy the Tobin tax of .05% on cross border currency transactions. |
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 *Website by David Doonan, Labor Donated to Hawkins for Senate Campaign* |
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