Frack-Free Illinois and The Fox Valley Citizens for Peace and Justice initiated a coalition of 36 unions and civic groups, who on February 4, 4:00 pm, staged a rally in Chicago’s Federal Plaza protesting President Obama’s signing of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), a so-called free trade agreement between 12 Pacific-rim countries (comprising 40% of the world’s commerce), which covers a wide spectrum of trade, banking, intellectual property regulations, etc., and allows foreign corporations to sue governments for loss of potential profits.
Protesters called the TPP a massive corporate coup benefiting the 1% and harming the 99%. The rally then marched to the Bank of America, where the Chicago Teachers Union was holding its own rally, decrying recent job cuts, underfunding of schools, toxic loans to the CPS from BOA and the breakdown of contract negotiations.
The two rallies briefly merged in mutual support, cheering to each other, before the TPP…
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