Skip to main content
ad info

 
CNN.com Allpoliticsallpolitics.comwith TIME
CNN.com EUROPE:
  Editions|myCNN|Video|Audio|News Brief|Free E-mail|Feedback  
 

Search


Search tips
POLITICS
TOP STORIES

Bush unveiling religious-based charity plan

Bush and family attend largely black church

Bush appears to make encouraging first impression

Bush Cabinet will meet over California power crisis

Former first lady says Reagans repaid Bel Air home with interest

Lockhart defends Clintons as GOP criticizes gifts, pardons, pranks

(MORE)

TOP STORIES

Indian PM witnesses quake devastation

EU considers tighter BSE controls

Alpine tunnel tops summit agenda

Bill Gates to address Davos

(MORE)

 MARKETS    1613 GMT, 12/28
5217.4
-25.00
5160.1
+42.97
4624.58
+33.42

 
SPORTS

(MORE)

 All Scoreboards
WEATHER
European Forecast

 Or choose another Region:
EUROPE

WORLD

TECHNOLOGY

ENTERTAINMENT

  IN OTHER NEWS

U.S.

HEALTH

TRAVEL



(MORE HEADLINES)
EDITIONS:
CNN.com U.S.:
*

LOCAL LANGUAGES:


MULTIMEDIA:

CNN WEB SITES:

CNN NETWORKS:
CNN International

TIME INC. SITES:

SITE INFO:

WEB SERVICES:

Clinton offers 'thank you' for union support

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Just two weeks before he joins the private sector, outgoing President Clinton thanked organized labor leaders for 25 years of political support Monday as he helped dedicate the refurbished headquarters of the AFL-CIO.

Clinton
President Clinton predicts the next four years will be challenging for labor leaders  

"I don't even have the words to say how profoundly grateful I am for more than a quarter of a century to be your teammate," said Clinton, reminiscing about union donations and support during his unsuccessful 1974 congressional campaign -- his first bid for public office.

Clinton took advantage of his appearance before the AFL-CIO -- the nation's largest labor organization -- to accuse congressional Republicans of stalling on Democratic proposals for a $1-per-hour minimum wage hike. A tentative agreement to increase the current $5.15 per hour rate in exchange for a package of small business tax breaks fell apart during prolonged wrangling between the White House and Congress over the 2001 budget.

"These families should not be punished for the failure of Congress to act for the last two years since our first call for an increase in the minimum wage," said Clinton, who accused GOP lawmakers of "milking" the issue with hopes of gaining larger tax cuts under the incoming administration of George W. Bush.

Clinton predicted the next four years would be challenging for labor leaders, and urged union members to find ways to work with the Republican administration. But Clinton's own relationship with organized labor -- a traditional bedrock of Democratic support -- has not always been harmonious.

The AFL-CIO and other groups have tangled with the White House on a host of issues over the past years, beginning with Clinton's efforts to secure passage North American Free Trade Agreement in 1993 and permanent normalization of trade relations with China this past year.

The AFL-CIO also opposed White House moves to increase H-1B visas allowing high-tech companies to hire more foreign workers, and was instrumental in organizing protests during last year's World Trade Organization summit in Seattle designed to further liberalize global trade.

Although Clinton publicly urged WTO member nations to adopt standards and trade penalties to ensure fair worker standards, the meeting collapsed amid violent protests and was viewed as an embarrassment for the administration.

Despite those differences, AFL-CIO President John Sweeney hailed Clinton's efforts to provide "a moral compass for the global economy.

"Even when we disagreed over an issue, it was always a disagreement of the head and never of the heart," said Sweeney. "We knew he believed firmly that he was fighting for working families."

Sweeney cited Clinton's stewardship of the booming U.S. economy and White House initiatives such as the Family and Medical Leave Act. Signed by the president in 1993, the law allows workers to take up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave after the birth of a child or to deal with a serious illness in the family.

 
RELATED STORIES


RELATED SITES



MORE STORIES:

Monday, January 8, 2001


 Search   


Back to the top   © 2001 Cable News Network. All Rights Reserved.
Terms under which this service is provided to you.
Read our privacy guidelines.