Political Quotes

“this morning, President Clinton signed an Executive order that would ban Federal contractors from hiring permanent replacement workers. I rise today to express my strong opposition to the President's action, both in terms of what it means for our country's workplace policy, as well as the manner in which it was done. In terms of workplace policy, the President's order will have serious negative implications for our system of collective bargaining. The foundation of that system is a balancing of the interests and risks of labor and management that allows the bargaining process to prod both parties toward a collective agreement on the terms and conditions of employment. A ban on the use of replacement workers will undoubtedly lead to more strikes, and the ripple effects of those strikes will result in lost jobs and lost business opportunities throughout industry. Beyond its policy implications, the legality of the Executive order is also questionable. The Congress has expressed its will with respect to the legality of permanent replacement workers and the President's order runs completely counter to that will. The responsibility for setting employment policy rests in the Congress, not in the White House. I call on President Clinton to reconsider his decision to pursue this dangerous and ill-conceived threat to our national labor policy.”