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Mayor Ted Terry explains to Clarkston City Council a resolution opposing the Trans-Pacific
Partnership trade agreement. Photo by R. Scott Belzer
Clarkston takes trade policy stance
by R. Scott Belzer
sbelzer@dekalbchamp.com
T he mayor and city council of
Clarkston took a stance at the fed
eral level at a regularly scheduled
meeting held April 5.
On that date, Clarkston adopted a resolu
tion opposing new international trade deals,
specifically naming the Trans-Pacific Partner
ship (TPP) as one “negotiated in secret, ef
fectively shutting state and local governments
out of the process, limiting [their] ability to in
fluence its rules to ensure the people of Geor
gia can participate in the benefits of trade.”
Mayor Ted Terry introduced the resolu
tion to city council during its April 5 work ses
sion. He began by explaining how the North
American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA),
passed in the early ‘90s, has been detrimen
tal to manufacturing and industrial jobs in the
immediate area.
“The NAFTA reduced trade barriers to
Mexico, Canada and America,” Terry said.
“Just for Georgia alone, and we’ve seen over
a million [United States] manufacturing jobs to
Mexico since the passage of NAFTA almost
20 years ago, Georgia has lost over 161,000
jobs.”
Terry referenced citizen.org’s Trade Ad
justment Assistance (TAA) database in back
ing up his statements. The TAA database
tracks applications for temporary income
assistance and training for workers who have
been laid off because of rising imports or off
shoring, according to the website.
“If you look at DeKalb County, 25 com
panies come up, not all of them from trade
related issues or outsourcing, but there is a
fair amount of them over the past 15 years,”
Terry said. These included local producers of
handbags, emergency lighting and catheters
that amounted to 2,568 jobs.
However, just two of the 25 companies,
Lithonia Lighting and General Motors Com
pany, list imports as the primary reason for
layoffs.
Terry said the TPP would be more det
rimental than NAFTA in hurting local manu
facturing and industrial workers. According
to a summary provided by the Office of the
United States Trade Representative, avail
able at ustr.gov, the TPP is a trade agreement
between 12 countries along the Pacific Rim
that includes the United States. The summary
states the result of such an agreement is “[the
promotion] of economic growth; creation and
retention of jobs; enhanced innovation, pro
ductivity and competitiveness; raising of living
standards; reduction of poverty in countries;
promotion of transparency, good governance,
and enhanced labor and environmental pro
tections.”
According to Terry, however, the TPP
comes with local consequences.
“The biggest issue with this trade deal is
that it was negotiated for many, many years
in secret, behind closed doors,” Terry said.
“Once the text was released, Congress had
an option to review it for 60 days. Since the
text has been released over 60 days ago,
various labor groups, environmental groups,
human rights groups and [all four presidential
candidate groups] have come out against it.”
Terry said Clarkston’s stance on manufac
turing, which includes incentives for housing
manufactured goods within city limits, along
with growing business parks, would be direct
ly affected by such an agreement. Broader
implications involving job loss, undermining
public authority and access to medicine were
also listed in the resolution.
Terry said officials such as Rep. Hank
Johnson as well as Senators John Isakson
and David Perdue will have the chance to
speak on the agreement before it goes into
effect.
“This resolution will be urging out con
gressman to vote no on the current trade deal
and renegotiate it,” Terry said.
Councilmen Mario Williams and Ahmed
Hassan said the resolution was more sym
bolic than political. Terry confirmed that no
party lines were being drawn and the issues
raised by the TPP were “cut and dry” in terms
of right and wrong.
“In a way, it’s a small, symbolic and more
political position,” said Councilman Awet
Eyasu. “But it’s good to be proactive. We
have an industrial zone in Clarkston and I’m
definitely in support of [the resolution].”
The resolution was unanimously passed
by Clarkston’s city council at their public
meeting held later in the evening on April 5.
April 14-20, 2016 » Page 14A
Photo by Donna Seay
MARTA changing signs, routes
MARTA bus route signs are being changed at various
locations in metro Atlanta, indicating changes in the transit
system’s bus routes.
The modifications are being made to improve overall
service and on-time performance, according to MARTA’s
website.
In DeKalb County, Routes 8, 9, 24, 32, 34, 36, 74, 75,
86, 114, 117, 125 and 186 are being modified.
For details about the changes, which are effective
April 16, go to www.itsmarta.com.
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