The critics come closer to the mark when they complain that the rules of international trade are tilted toward capital at the expense of labor. Lori Wallach, director of Public Citizen's Trade Watch in Washington, made that point quite elegantly at the Forum, which was organized by the Institute of World Affairs at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Wallach, a Wausau native, complained that existing international trade agreements are crafted behind closed doors by national governments and corporations, leaving too little protection for labor. Soon, she said, the process that led to the North American Free Trade Agreement, which she criticized as unfair to labor, may be repeated to create a Western Hemisphere-wide free trade zone. Under fast track, Congress still must ratify any agreement reached by the president, but it must take it or leave it, with no amendments allowed.
Fast track dilutes the power of special interests to derail a trade agreement.
It takes away their ability to put pressure on Congress to change it. For that reason, many groups beyond those on the left like Wallach's, oppose fast track. Some in industry are afraid that without the ability to hold the entire package hostage to their particular interests, they will not get the best deal. Without such fast track authority, negotiating international trade agreements is almost impossible. If Congress has a free hand to amend the agreement, then foreigners should cut out the middle man and negotiate directly with 535 American lawmakers, something even presidents have trouble doing.