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2. Reforming Trade Agreements for Workers, the Environment, and Fair Competition

Shaping Global Trade for Shared Prosperity and Sustainability​

International trade agreements have profound impacts on domestic economies, workers' rights, environmental standards, and global relationships. For too long, trade deals have been negotiated behind closed doors, prioritizing corporate profits and market access over the well-being of working families, consumer safety, and environmental protection. This approach has contributed to job displacement, wage stagnation, environmental degradation, and a global "race to the bottom" on standards.

Our platform calls for a fundamental reorientation of U.S. trade policy. We advocate for trade agreements that are negotiated transparently, prioritize enforceable labor and environmental standards, protect domestic industries from unfair competition, promote equitable development, and align with our broader foreign policy goals of promoting democracy and human rights.

Key Principles for Fair and Sustainable Trade Agreements:​

  1. Prioritize Workers' Rights and Fair Wages:

    • Require all U.S. trade agreements to include strong, binding, and enforceable labor provisions based on core International Labour Organization (ILO) standards, including the right to organize and bargain collectively, prohibitions on forced labor and child labor, and non-discrimination.
    • Implement mechanisms to prevent trade agreements from incentivizing a race to the bottom on wages and working conditions, both domestically and abroad. Include provisions for wage standards and workplace safety.

  2. Integrate Robust Environmental Standards:

    • Mandate that trade agreements include binding environmental commitments aligned with international accords (like the Paris Agreement), covering climate change, pollution control, biodiversity protection, and sustainable resource management.
    • Ensure environmental provisions are subject to the same dispute settlement and enforcement mechanisms as commercial provisions. Prohibit trade in illegally harvested timber, wildlife, and fish.

  3. Ensure Transparency and Democratic Accountability:

    • Conduct trade negotiations with unprecedented transparency, including public access to negotiating texts (with appropriate safeguards for sensitive negotiating positions) and meaningful consultation with labor unions, environmental groups, consumer advocates, and other public interest stakeholders, not just corporate lobbyists.
    • Strengthen congressional oversight of trade negotiations and agreements.

  4. Protect Consumer Safety and Public Health:

    • Ensure trade agreements do not undermine domestic regulations related to food safety, product safety, public health measures, or access to affordable medicines (e.g., by opposing excessive intellectual property protections for pharmaceuticals that hinder generic competition).

  5. Promote Fair Competition and Address Currency Manipulation:

    • Include enforceable provisions against unfair trade practices like dumping, state subsidies that distort markets, and currency manipulation.
    • Ensure trade agreements do not grant excessive rights to foreign investors (e.g., through Investor-State Dispute Settlement - ISDS mechanisms) that allow corporations to challenge legitimate public interest regulations.

  6. Support Equitable Development:

    • Design trade agreements with developing countries to promote sustainable development, poverty reduction, and technology transfer, rather than solely focusing on resource extraction or market access for U.S. corporations. Include provisions for capacity building and fair terms of trade.

  7. Review and Reform Existing Agreements:

    • Conduct a thorough review of existing trade agreements (like USMCA, WTO rules) to assess their impact on workers, the environment, and domestic industries, and seek renegotiation or reform where necessary to align them with these principles.

Conclusion:​

Trade policy must be a tool for promoting shared prosperity, environmental sustainability, and democratic values, not just corporate profits. By negotiating fair, transparent, and enforceable trade agreements that uplift labor standards, protect the environment, ensure consumer safety, and promote equitable development, the United States can lead the way in creating a global trading system that works for people and the planet.