For example, in May, when the coalition shocked The Powers That Be by initially defeating the process for railroading TPP through Congress, the New York Times blared on its front page that this comeuppance was a product of "Labor's Might." But wait. The media establishment also says unions have shriveled to political irrelevance. So how did "little labor" suddenly become so mighty that it could deliver a devastating blow to Obama, the entire GOP leadership, and all those brand names marching under the banner of the "US Business Coalition for TPP"?
Well, surprise! Labor is nowhere near as weak as the sneering corporate swells would have us believe, especially when they unite and focus their grassroots members on a pivotal goal. For more than two years, unions have been educating their members; holding TPP teach-ins and rallies; calling, emailing, and visiting members of Congress; and going door-to-door, creating videos, and running social media campaigns. Pushed by a few smart and fiery leaders like the indomitable Larry Cohen of the Communications Workers of America, diverse and sometimes discordant unions have unified into one cohesive force. The AFL-CIO's executive council even cast an unprecedented vote to hold Democrats' feet to the fire by withholding all campaign donations until after key votes on the trade flimflam. (The Dems' shrieks of horror could be heard on Pluto!)
Labor certainly is showing "might" that far exceeds the labor v. bosses conflict simplistically portrayed in the media. It rises from the millions of Americans in thousands of grassroots organizations who have come together from across the political spectrum to create a diverse, majority coalition. Ironically, TPP -- designed to be the wet dream of the multinational corporate order -- has spawned the establishment's nightmare: the beginning of a genuine people's uprising against the arrogant over-reach and insatiable avarice of the over-moneyed class.
Blueprint for a movementThe grassroots coalition has not won the Trans-Pacific battle (not yet), but it's already a winner. This remarkable campaign has flushed the nefarious scheme of the global kleptocrats into full public view, wrecking their plan for a quick coup. (The powers had originally assumed Congress would rubber-stamp the deal in 2013!) So, in June 2015, still far from done, the amalgamated powers resorted to legislative gimmickry and tawdry exchanges of favors with enough lawmakers that they squeaked out a one-vote procedural victory in the Senate. It allowed them to use the "fast track" mechanism in hopes of finally ramming their deal through a reluctant Congress later this year.
Victory at last, thought the US corporate clique as they headed to Hawaii in July to seal the "final round" of TPP negotiations among the 12 nations. But yikes! The negotiations collapsed. It seems that our US grassroots fighters had been working with similar activists elsewhere in the world who had compelled their countries' negotiators to stand firm against TPP. And the failure of the member nations to agree on the final contents of the TPP, means new negotiations must take place. And that means there'll be no vote to try to ratify TPP until well into 2016, when the stormy winds of presidential politics will be raging.
Meanwhile, the citizens' democracy coalition is more energized than ever.
How did this people's coalition come so far against seemingly impossible odds? Not simply by grabbing pitchforks and torches (though public rage at plutocratic greed certainly provided fuel), but by grabbing grub-hoes and doing the hard work of grassroots cultivation. While a profusion of groups rose to this challenge, the early warning about TPP (and much of the subsequent strategizing, organizing, and mobilizing to defeat it) came from the small group of big thinkers and doers in the Global Trade Watch project of Public Citizen.
As a longtime board member of Public Citizen, I've followed GTW's extraordinary work on this corporate sneak attack. In 2011 Lori Wallach began developing a strategy for taking the practically unheard of TPP out of the backrooms and splashing it into the faces of the public to awaken people to its multiple threats. Mainstream liberal organizations thought she was off on Mission Impossible, since the corporate side has thousands of trade lawyers, lobbyists, PR agents, and other experienced operatives working on this. Was Lori seriously proposing to confront that army with her 11 staffers?
Yes. Enlisting a core band of labor, environmental, and community allies, the dozen trade-watching stalwarts at Public Citizen divided into five teams and went after the Brobdingnagians of global corporate power. Here are a few highlights:
Field Team. In 2013, the organizers launched "The TPP Roadshow" that traveled across the country with graphic presentations on what the "trade" deal would do to locals -- and they hit a nerve. In Connecticut, for example, at a small meeting in a library basement with a remnant of activists from the 2010 Occupy Hartford movement, one attendee, Debra, got fired up, created a women's group named ActivateCT, and, well... they began to activate. The movement ultimately generated a rebellion so effective that only only one Democratic Congress member in the entire Northeast -- former Wall Street banker Jim Himes -- supported Fast Track. (Empowered by this experience, Debra and group have become progressive leaders on a range of issues in their state.)
The field team organized similar creative coalitions in many states. They bird-dogged Congress critters at local public appearances, did two-hour "drop-in-and-hang-out" visits to their district offices, and otherwise stayed in the face of power. This year, with spectacular success, the field operation upped its online outreach. In just the first six months, it reached 18 million people through Twitter and -- get this -- 34 million through Facebook! Many of those activated were previously unaware of corporate trade scams like TPP, and their engagement in this fight has expanded the base for other populist encounters.
Research & Analysis Team. Credible documentation of the facts is essential to convincing the public, media, and lawmakers that this trade deal is a Trojan horse for global corporate empowerment. This has required extensive sleuthing by GTW analysts and their international allies, including globe hopping to gather intelligence and monitor meetings of the secretive negotiators. For example, having a speedy analysis of the leaked TPP chapter on the shocking ISDS tribunals was a huge breakthrough, for it clearly exposed the autocratic intent of the proponents. The document was so powerful that it forced Obama himself to flat-out lie, publicly claiming that ISDS will not do what the language of the chapter plainly says it will.
Debunking the bogus statements of the deal's cheerleaders became a major function of this team. GTW issued more than 40 rebuttals -- many on the same day as the pro-corporate claims -- to the false assertions of those pushing TPP. The team got so good that it even began doing "pre-buttals" -- anticipating what the other side was about to put out and preemptively refuting it.
The team instantly disseminates its findings to local trade campaigns, allied groups, online sites, and social media, allowing activists to spread the word independently from what (if anything) traditional media report. The team also breaks down national data on job losses, agricultural impacts, etc., to show TPP's potential damage in each state, as well as in particular Congressional districts.
Communications & Monitoring Team. This is GTW's watchtower, constantly attuned to Washington's trade politics and informing its allies to the latest developments. The team's "daily dragnet" checks over 35 sources to learn about Congressional meetings, policy briefings, lobbyist maneuverings, and conferences. GTW's senior staff decides events to be covered and alerts coalition partners to meetings affecting their constituencies. Gathered intelligence is analyzed for what actions are needed, and shared with coalition allies, local groups, media outlets, and lawmakers.
When the TPP started drawing mass media attention last year, coverage was almost entirely from the fawning "free trade is godly" perspective. To counter that, GTW began convening weekly message meetings with communications staffers of allied groups, Congressional offices and social media mavens, developing a consistent and cohesive message for the coalition.
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