US unions suspend contributions

The US trade union movement is suspending political contributions to the Democrats in its fight with the Obama administration over international trade deals.

They include the planned Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) agreement with the European Union (see Labour Research, May 2014, pages 12-15).

The AFL-CIO union confederation is to freeze political contributions to Democratic members of Congress in an effort to put on pressure over the deals.

The administration is in talks over at least five big trade agreements, including the TTIP and the Trans Pacific Partnership.

And president Obama is trying to pass “fast track” legislation to ensure the deals can be put to Congress on a straight “yes/no” basis, so they cannot be amended.

The International Association of Fire Fighters kicked off by suspending donations and challenging fellow AFL-CIO affiliates to do the same.

And last month, The Wall Street Journal reported that AFL-CIO president Richard Trumka had issued a confidential memo to affiliates saying that the AFL-CIO had agreed to freeze contributions “until after Fast Track has been decided”.

www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2015-03-11/afl-cio-suspends-political-contributions-to-focus-on-trade-fight-against-white-house