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Trade Agreement Protesters Deliver Message to Wyden

Rally signs show opposition to new trade agreement.
Tiffany Eckert
Rally signs show opposition to new trade agreement.

At a small rally at the Federal Courthouse in Eugene today (Monday), community activists and union representatives held signs in protest of the new trade agreement called the Trans-Pacific Partnership (or T-P-P.) KLCC's Tiffany Eckert reports.

As the group sang re-worked verses of the popular Bob Dylan protest song, a delegation prepared to hand deliver about 55 letters to Senator Ron Wyden.

Rally signs show opposition to new trade agreement.
Credit Tiffany Eckert
Rally signs show opposition to new trade agreement.

Shelley Pineo-Jensen is with Eugene Springfield Solidarity Network. She criticized Wyden for not taking a stronger position  on the TPP.

Pineo-Jensen: "Senator Wyden said that he's not made his mind up."

The protesters lauded Senator Jeff Merkley and Representative Peter Defazio for their stands against the trade agreement. 

Advocates say the TPP will enhance trade and create jobs but protester Cary Thompson disagrees.

Thompson:"It's kind of a shame that President Obama is promoting this because it's gonna hurt American workers and the environment that he cares a lot about. And I know he has pressure from the other side and the corporations and the people that'll say it will increase trade. Well, it increases trade but a lot of times not to our advantage."

The details of the trans-Pacific Partnership have not been finalized. The United States continues to negotiate the agreement with member countries.

Copyright 2014 KLCC

Tiffany joined the KLCC News team in 2007. She studied journalism at the University of Missouri-Columbia and has worked in a variety of media including television and daily print news. For KLCC, Tiffany reports on health care, social justice and local/regional news. She has won awards from Oregon Associated Press, PRNDI, and Education Writers Association.