Contributor: Arthur Stamoulis

 toward conclusion, labor, environmental and community organizations are working together to drag the TPP out of the shadows and prevent a new “NAFTA on Steroids.”

Approximately 3.5 million American jobs have been shipped abroad under past NAFTA-style trade pacts, including more than half-a-million in California.  While hosting a Kick-Off Rally on the opening day of the negotiations, San Diego and Imperial Counties Labor Council Secretary-Treasurer Lorena Gonzalez noted how all workers are affected by offshoring, saying, “This not only contributes to the nation's severe unemployment problems, but it pushes down wages and benefits for the jobs we have left.”

People from southern California and throughout the nation are preparing to greet trade negotiators and corporate lobbyists as they gather for the 13th major round of Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations from July 2 -10 at the Hilton San Diego Bayfront Hotel.

The San Diego-Imperial Central Labor Council, Citizens Trade Campaign (CTC) and others are holding a kick-off rally to welcome trade negotiators on Monday, July 2 at 12:00 noon at the park adjacent to the Hilton Bayfront and the Convention Center.  The broader Stop TPP Coalition, led by Occupy San Diego and others, is also planning a series of actions and educational events, the details of which will be announced online at StopTPP.org.