Unions ramp up pressure ahead of Fast Track vote

WASHINGTON – The AFL-CIO is ramping up efforts to stop Fast Track with a targeted advertising blitz against undecided members of Congress. The ads reflect the sentiment of working families who are vehemently opposed to giving Fast Track authority to another bad trade deal that costs American jobs.

The Coalition to Stop Fast Track, which the AFL-CIO is a part of, is up with a TV ad in DC and across California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Nebraska, North Carolina, Texas and Washington. The ad focuses on how fast track will stifle America’s ingenuity and cost jobs by stacking the deck in favor of multinational corporations, driving down wages and undercutting our nation’s competitive edge.

The AFL-CIO is also running a TV ad in Sacramento criticizing Rep. Ami Bera for his support of fast track and posted a classified ad in the Sacramento Bee, on Career Builder and on Sacramento Craigslist, looking for a Congressman in CA-7 with a backbone.

This evening the New York State AFL-CIO will rally to hold Congresswoman Rice accountable for her fast track flip flop.

On the digital front, the AFL-CIO purchased a digital ad buy in The New York Times, Washington Post, Politico and The Hill. The message: Fast Track Kills Jobs, Drives Down Wages, & Weakens Competition.  The ads run through June 14.

“The urgency of these actions highlights the commitment working families have to defeating Fast Track. Their actions clearly show that they will not stand for another trade deal riddled with unfulfilled promises,” said AFL-CIO Strategic Advisor and Director of Communications Eric Hauser.

Since March, union members and our allies have organized more than 650 events against fast track and thousands of workers have traveled to D.C. to rally and lobby Congress. Unions have made two million phone calls to union members warning against fast track, generated more than 161,000 phone calls and nearly 18,000 handwritten letters to Members of Congress and gathered more than 40,000 petition signatures.Digital advertisements targeting dozens of Members of Congress have made more than 25 million impressions.

Photo: AFL-CIO NOW blog.