Bill Clinton: “Good morning. To Secretary Reich, Phil Knight of Nike, the other business leaders who are here, and the labor leaders…”

“Good morning. To Secretary Reich, Phil Knight of Nike, the other business leaders who are here, and the labor leaders, leaders of other organizations who are concerned about this issue; to Kathie Lee Gifford and Congressman George Miller, who was just here and had to leave. I want to say a special word of thanks to my friend Senator Tom Harkin, who is the very first person who ever discussed the issue we'll be talking about today with me. Before I begin, I'd like to say just a brief word about the new job figures. It was reported this morning that our economy produced nearly 200,000 more new jobs in July, further good news for the American people that our economy is growing and creating good jobs. Thanks to the hard work of employees and businesses here in our country, we now have the economic equivalent of our dream team: strong growth, millions of jobs, low inflation, low unemployment, and growing incomes. That's the lineup we want for America. I just had a very productive meeting with representatives of some of our Nation's largest apparel and footwear companies as well as representatives of labor, consumer, human rights, and religious groups. They all accepted my invitation to meet here today to deal with an issue that is rightly on the minds of millions of American consumers. Just a year ago today, the discovery of more than 70 people working in virtual slavery behind barbed wire in a garment factory in El Monte, California, awakened Americans to the fact that some of the clothes and shoes they buy are manufactured by people who work under deplorable conditions. The well-documented episode involving Kathie Lee Gifford also awakened many people to this problem. We all are outraged by these awful revelations, but as leaders we have a responsibility to do something about them. When Kathie Lee learned that some of the garments with her name on them were being produced under terrible working conditions, she didn't bury her head in the sand. Instead, she reacted quickly, decisively, and responsibly. That's what all the rest of us must do as well. Our Nation has always stood for human dignity and the fundamental rights of working people. We believe everyone should work, but no one should have to put their lives or health in jeopardy to put food on the table for their families. That's why I am pleased to announce that the companies gathered here today have agreed to begin working together to put an end to this terrible problem. They have agreed to do two things. First, they will take additional steps to ensure that the products they make and sell are manufactured under decent and humane working conditions. Second, they will develop options to inform consumers that the products they buy are not produced under those exploitative conditions. They have agreed to report back to me within a maximum of 6 months about their progress. Human and labor rights are not brand names. They are the most basic products of our democracy. I want to compliment the companies that are here: Phillips-Van Heusen, L.L. Bean, Patagonia, Nicole Miller, Karen Kane, Warnaco, Tweeds, and of course, Frank and Kathie Lee Gifford, Liz Claiborne, and Nike, companies that have pledged to live up to their responsibilities. And I want to see the results they produce. The ultimate test of their commitment will be for them to produce tough criteria to make sure that sweatshops are not used and to make sure consumers know it. And then what we want to do is to persuade others in this country to follow their lead and to find ways to make sure, again, that consumers know it. I don't know what final strategies they will come up with. I do hope they'll develop measures that might include labels, clear signs in stores, or other means of getting the information directly involved to consumers so that consumers at the point of sale have an opportunity themselves to be responsible citizens in their purchases. This is a good start. As I said before, we know that the first job of business is to produce a profit. That is the foundation of our free en- terprise system. But for the system to succeed, good corporations must also be good citizens. Our success in the 21st century depends more than ever on the right kind of partnership between all of us to make America the place it ought to be and to set a standard for the entire world. We're already working with the high-tech community to put computers in schools, with the media and entertainment industry to rate television programs. Today we are embarking on a new partnership. I hope that it will become a vital part of the battle against sweatshops here in the United States and against abusive working conditions and particularly child labor everywhere in the world. Thank you. [At this point, Secretary of Labor Robert Reich; Phil Knight, president and chief executive officer, Nike, Inc.; and television talk show host Kathie Lee Gifford made brief remarks.] Health Care Reform”