Ha ha, let’s pretend free trade has been great for the economy and working people!
“In 2011, the IBEW sent another letter to Congress opposing a proposed trade agreement between the U.S. and South Korea. The letter anticipated the loss of approximately 159,000 U.S. jobs during the first seven years of implementation. The IBEW also criticized the lack of language to stop South Korea from manipulating the price of its currency. The agreement passed Congress in 2012.
As with the Colombian agreement, the union’s concerns have been realized. The U.S. trade deficit with South Korea reached a historic high of $21 billion in 2013, an increase of more than $7 billion from 2011. The Economic Policy Institute estimates that 40,000 U.S. jobs, many in manufacturing, have been lost to South Korea in the first year of the agreement.”