Reps. Slaughter, DeLauro, and Tonko Urge President Obama to See Firsthand Why the TPP Is Bad for American Workers During Vietnam Visit

WASHINGTON, DC (May 20, 2016) — On the eve of his visit to Vietnam, Representatives Louise Slaughter (NY-25), Rosa DeLauro (CT-03), and Paul Tonko (NY-20) today urged President Obama to meet with dissidents, civil society organizations, and labor unions to see firsthand why its inclusion in the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) is bad for American workers. This misguided trade deal would force our workers into unfair competition with countries like Vietnam while failing to secure reciprocal access for American goods in foreign markets. At the same time, the TPP fails to secure labor, human rights, food safety, and environmental commitments from many signatories that have appalling track records on each issue.

“Throughout the debate on the Trans-Pacific Partnership, many of us in Congress have expressed our concerns with Vietnam’s inclusion in the agreement,” wrote Reps. Slaughter, DeLauro, and Tonko. “You have said publicly that we, as opponents of the agreement, need to tell you what’s wrong with the TPP. In the case of our many concerns with Vietnam, you have the opportunity to see for yourself.”

The TPP is a 12-country megadeal modeled after the job-killing North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) that has been negotiated in secret. The trade agreement would give foreign companies increased access to the lucrative American market, forcing U.S. workers to compete with countries such as Vietnam, where the minimum wage is less than 65 cents an hour and workers’ rights are almost nonexistent.

The full letter is copied below:

May 20, 2016

President Barack Obama
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, D.C. 20500

Dear President Obama:

Throughout the debate on the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), many of us in Congress have expressed our concerns with Vietnam’s inclusion in the agreement. Vietnam has a long history of worker and human rights abuses that harm its citizens and create an unfair competitive advantage against American workers. Vietnam is also a major source of farmed seafood imports into the United States, but its lax standards put the health of American families at risk. It is our hope that you will use your upcoming trip to Vietnam to ensure that promises that Vietnam has made in its consistency plan will be fully implemented. We urge you to meet with dissidents, civil society organizations, and worker rights organizations to demonstrate your support for the consistency plan and democratic principles.

We encourage you to use your time in Vietnam to visit an apparel workshop – preferably one that is not hand-picked by your hosts. Union activity in the country is restricted to the VGCL, which is an official part of the Communist party governments, and workers do not have the right to strike. The VGCL does not effectively fight for better wages or workplace conditions, which prompts workers—who have no other outlet—to engage in wildcat strikes. Independent labor activists are treated like political dissidents: arrested and jailed. These circumstances have suppressed wages, harming both the Vietnamese workers and American workers who must compete against lower cost goods. Not only are collective bargaining and the right to join independent unions absent from the entire economy, other abuses including forced labor and child trafficking exist as well, particularly in garments, bricks, and agriculture.

We do not doubt your commitment to include stronger labor provisions in the TPP, but the end result has fallen short of what we believe would be an effective “gold standard” agreement. Under the separate side letter/consistency plan, Vietnam would be given immediate preferential trade benefits, including significant market access to its apparel industry, but is free to continue violating freedom of association for at least five years. Even after that period, there are legitimate questions as to how Vietnam’s labor obligations would be enforced. Moreover, the United States government has never initiated a labor case under a free trade agreement, and any action against Vietnam pursuant to the side agreement would be at the discretion of, not just your successor, but the winner of the 2020 presidential election. Taken as a whole, the labor provisions in the TPP and the side letter are not adequate to protect Vietnamese workers from abuse nor American workers from unfair competition.

We would recommend that you also visit one of Vietnam’s aquaculture facilities. Vietnam is a major source of U.S. imports of shrimp, catfish, and other seafood products, and its position would only grow with the preferential treatment it receives through the TPP. However, the country’s food safety regime is dangerously inadequate compared to U.S. standards. Fish pens and ponds in Vietnam are overcrowded and drugs and fungicides that are not approved in the United States are used to combat disease. According to surveys conducted in recent years, every catfish farm in Vietnam was found to have used antibiotics that were not approved in the United States and 80 percent of the bacteria commonly found on Vietnamese shrimp were antibiotic resistant. Nearly one in five samples of fish and seafood from Vietnam failed laboratory tests.

Despite this obvious risk to human health, under the new Rapid Response Mechanism established in the TPP, Vietnam could challenge U.S. inspectors who attempt to detain suspect seafood imports. In addition, the TPP’s Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) provisions would allow Vietnam to challenge our higher food safety standards. Either scenario, made possible by the TPP, would increase the likelihood that tainted seafood finds its way to the tables of American families and is a significant concern of the families we represent.

As you meet with Vietnamese officials, please emphasize that, per the consistency plan’s terms, progress is not sufficient to qualify for entry into force for the TPP. Each specified change must be fully implemented and enforced in Vietnam. We expect full compliance with the pact. Before entering the TPP into force, the United States must send a strong message, especially given the poor implementation of the 5-year-old Colombia labor actions.

You have said publicly that we, as opponents of the agreement, need to tell you what’s wrong with the TPP. In the case of our many concerns with Vietnam, you have the opportunity to see for yourself.

Sincerely,

Louise M. Slaughter
Member of Congress

Rosa L. DeLauro
Member of Congress

Paul Tonko
Member of Congress

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