CAFTA, AFTA and other Trade Agreements in this hemisphere
While DR-CAFTA (the Dominican Republic – Central American Free Trade Agreement passed the US Congress in 2005 by 1 vote, the narrowest of possible margins, its implemetation is meeting with continued struggles in the signatory countries. See for instance this dispatch from the US- El Salvador Sister Cities office in San Salvador.
Meanwhile, the proposed Andean Free Trade Agreement was replaced by a series of proposed bilateral agreements between the US and South American countries - Peru (passed), Colombia, and Panama. For more information follow the links on the Fair Trade Tools page.
Maine and the GATS
The Maine Fair Trade Campaign and PICA have worked with Maine’s Governor Baldacci to protect Maine jobs & working families, Maine's public services, Maine's environment and our democracy from the latest corporate "free trade" attack. Our goal is to take Maine out of the WTO's General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS).
What is the GATS? It’s a sneaky corporate trade deal that will work to privatize public services, hurt public sector workers, and take away our democracy. In a nutshell, what NAFTA did to industrial workers the GATS will do to public sector workers. The GATS also opens a backdoor to privatizing healthcare, education, water, libraries and the public services we value. And it limits communities’ ability to set their own zoning, land-use and environmental policies.
That's the scary news. The good news is that Maine can remove itself from the worst parts of this trade deal. We have recently had a major victory on this front. In a letter to U.S. Trade representative Rob Portman, Governor Baldacci took Maine out of key parts of the WTO's General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS). Once again Maine is taking the lead in protecting our jobs, public services and democracy.
Here’s more on how the GATS could hurt Maine.
Eastern Maine Fair Economy Commission
As citizen concern and opposition to big box development continues to grow in Maine, PICA is creating hearings to give people from all walks of life the opportunity to share their ideas and experiences around these issues. Based on the successful model of the Maine Citizens Trade Policy Commission, the Eastern Maine Fair Economy Commission has looked at the impact of "Big Box" stores on communities in Eastern Maineand examined strategies for strengthening local economies and the economy of the region. The Commission's Report calls for specific policy changes at the state and local levels. Here’s more.
