CLAS Chair Harley Shaiken reorients the conversation from "free trade vs. protectionism" to "inclusive trade vs. corporate protectionism." In this reality, unbalanced trade agreements may lead to higher productivity but also result in a polarized economy and an unequal society.
The photo on the opening page of The New York Times business section in late September 2016 is striking. (1) A woman in a bright yellow t-shirt and blue pants stacks cans for a food bank at a local union hall with her back to the viewer. Emblazoned on her t-shirt is the slogan “Fair Trade Is Our Future.” The caption for the photo reads “Cathy Marsh, a former employee of the steel mill in Granite City, Ill., organized donated food for laid-off workers this month.” These laid-off workers include almost 900 of the 1,250 who used to work at the U.S. Steel plant in Granite City, and their prospects are bleak...