Oregon Fair Trade Campaign will celebrate 10 years of fighting for a pro-worker trade policy with an Oct. 18 fundraising dinner. The group is a coalition of union members, environmentalists, and faith and community activists that works to oppose NAFTA-style trade agreements such as the TransPacific Partnership — a proposed Pacific Rim deal that’s being negotiated without input from Congress or the public.
The dinner’s keynote speaker is one of the most prominent critics of America’s corporate-led trade policy, Lori Wallach. Wallach, director of Public Citizen’s Global Trade Watch, has been campaigning since 1991 against trade agreements that harm workers and the environment. She’s a frequent commentator on CNN, NPR, Fox, and other media outlets, and has a talent for translating complex trade jargon into plain English.
U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley (D-Oregon) will also attend the dinner, and Oregon AFL-CIO president Tom Chamberlain will present him the group’s “fair trade champion” award.
The dinner will take place Saturday, October 18, at the SEIU Local 503 Hall, 6401 SE Foster Rd. Doors open at 5:30 p.m., and the dinner and program run from 6 to 8 p.m. Tickets are $60 per person, or $600 for a table of 10, and can be purchased online at oregonfairtrade.org or by phone at 503-736-9777.
