Labor historians should be particularly concerned about Trump’s misuse of tariff history because his tariff policies remain popular with many working-class voters and labor union leaders despite the recent economic meltdown they have caused.
In an interview, United Auto Workers president Shawn Fain argues that the era of “free-trade” deals like NAFTA has been a disaster for the US working class and that smart tariffs can help bring back good auto jobs.
The Great Hunger was a modern event, shaped by the belief that the poor are the authors of their own misery and that the market must be obeyed at all costs.
Economists have seriously failed the public in important areas over the last three decades. And these failures played a role in fostering the upward redistribution of income over the last four decades. People have a right to be angry.
By gathering to honor the spirit of the WTO protests, we hope to empower the labor community with practical tools and renewed inspiration to advocate for a fairer, more transparent trade system that values people, not just profit.
Both Trump and Biden imposed high tariffs on imported products made in China and other countries. Those impositions broke with and departed from the previous half century’s policies favoring “free trade.”
The history of African relations and investment governance with the North is far more disadvantageous than in the case of trade. Current international investment law regime protects and promotes the interests of the capital-exporting countries.
Unrest worldwide, and what it means
On July 1, 2020, NAFTA was replaced by the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement. The new labor provisions require Mexico to restructure its labor relations system with US oversight. Mexican workers will most likely continue to suffer.
I learned two important lessons when young. One was that the company would do nothing for the workers unless forced by collective action. The other was that labor unions were instruments of both economic and social justice.
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