Support Our Work
Your support—even just $5—will help the BlueGreen Alliance continue this critical work creating quality jobs in the United States.We were founded with the belief that a just trade policy for the 21st century promotes growth and prosperity across all sectors of the global society and embeds enforceable labor, environmental, and human rights standards in our trade agreements. Today, we are working for trade agreements that accomplish this goal.
The Challenge
An international trade agreement in the 21st Century should raise standards for workers, consumers, and the environment. But all too often, agreements like the Trans-Pacific Partnership undermine American manufacturing and ship good-paying jobs overseas; contain huge corporate giveaways, and undermine labor, human rights and environmental standards.
Meanwhile, measures like the Investor-State Dispute System impede democracy and allow corporations to attack common-sense air, water, and climate protections. Environmental protections in the TPP may not force countries to live up to obligations on key international agreement or stop illegal and unsustainable activities that are destroying ocean, wildlife and forests.
The Opportunity
But there is a better way. A founding principle of the BlueGreen Alliance is support for a just trade policy for the 21st century that promotes growth and prosperity across all sectors of the global society—not just for multinational corporations and few elites—and embeds enforceable labor, environmental, and human rights standards in our trade agreements.
Through an open, public process, the U.S. can partner with other nations in mutually beneficial trade and climate agreements that are fair, protect workers’ rights and jobs, safeguard the environment; ensure the democratic processes of sovereign nations are not overturned by unelected bodies; and raise the bar for consumer and public protections in all nations that are signatories.
Key Facts
2007 In May 2007, the U.S. adopted international trade policy that set minimum standards for environmental, labor and other provisions in U.S. trade agreements. However, we can improve on these standards. (Source)
850,000 Between 1993 (before NAFTA took effect) and 2013, the U.S. trade deficit with Mexico and Canada increased from $17.0 billion to $177.2 billion, displacing more than 850,000 U.S. jobs. (Source)
$265 Billion The U.S. already has a large and growing trade deficit with the 11 other countries in the proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership, which reached $265.1 billion in 2014. (Source)