[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George H. W. Bush (1992, Book I)]
[June 23, 1992]
[Pages 1001-1002]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Remarks and an Exchange With Reporters on a Possible Railroad Strike

June 23, 1992
    The President. Well, let me just say I've had a first-class briefing 
from Secretary Card, doing a first-rate job over there at 
Transportation. I'm very much concerned. Let us hope that some last-
minute breakthrough will avert a strike. But my message today, after 
listening to the Secretary and understanding how bad it would be for the 
people of this country, is that should a strike occur, Congress ought to 
do in this instance what they've done twice before, two preceding events 
like this, and that is to move promptly to protect the American people 
and to end the strike through legislation. I feel very strongly about 
it, and I think in this instance, should a strike occur, Congress has an 
obligation to move fast to protect the American people, whether it's a 
lockout or a strike.
    Q. How would they----
    The President.  Legislation like happened the last two times.
    Q. Mr. President, would you do anything before the possibility of a 
strike? Is there some kind of intervention or emergency declaration or 
anything?
    The President. No. Andy can answer that.
    Secretary Card. The President has exercised that responsibility when 
he created the Presidential Emergency Board. So----
    The President. And you see, it's reported back. It's made sound 
recommendations, and the Secretary has been working diligently to try to 
get various parties to come along. But the unilateral action by the 
President does not apply. The only thing that could stop the strike, if 
one occurs, is to have legislation.
    Q. What is the economic impact? Why is the economic impact so dire 
that Congress should move immediately?
    The President. Well, first place, there's an enormous inconvenience 
to the American worker on the commuter side. And then as it begins to 
take a hold on moving freight and moving product, agricultural product 
for example, to market, it's terrible. So public good is not served by a 
prolonged strike. So it ought to end the day it begins.
    Q. Mr. President, do you anticipate any downside in terms of 
political consequences for your reelection campaign with the rail 
strike?
    The President. I have no idea of that. This is not a political 
matter. This is a matter of the national good and what's best for the 
American people. And what's best for the American people is to avoid a 
strike. But if a strike takes place, or a lockout, it could be ended and 
ended right away.
    Q. Do you plan to call congressional leaders today, sir, to express 
your feelings?
    The President. Well, they know our views; we've expressed it. But we 
were just talking about that. I might well do that. But if that would 
help, I'll do it.
    Q. Have you been talking----
    Q. If the legislation goes through, could it be passed?
    The President. It could be done in a day. I mean yes, it's happened 
before. The last two times, I believe it was just one day.
    Secretary Card. Seventeen hours.
    The President. Yes, 17 hours, Andy is reminding me, was the last 
one.
    Q. Have you been consulting with the automakers or the shippers or 
people that

[[Page 1002]]

have urged you to take this action?
    The President. The Secretary's talked to everybody, yes.
    Q. Have you urged them not to do a lockout if there's a partial 
strike?
    The President. Well, I'd leave the technical questions to the 
Secretary. He's tried to avoid shutdowns in every way, and he's gone the 
extra mile. A lot of people have been cooperative, he tells me. So it's 
not a one-sided picture here. But the bottom line is, the public are not 
served by a strike that lasts for any time at all. And so the Congress 
should do now, if that's the case and there is a strike tomorrow, it 
ought to do what it's done to incidents before this: move. The last one 
took 17 hours to legislate it, to solve it. It can be done that quick or 
quicker.
    Q. Is there any reason----
    The President. This is a challenge to the Congress to do what's best 
for the American people, should it get to that.
    Q. Would a rail strike hurt the economic recovery, sir? Could it 
throw it back?
    The President. Yes it could. It could adversely affect the workers 
in this country, and it could adversely affect a lot of things, 
depending, obviously, how long it goes on.
    Q. Is there any reason for optimism in collective bargaining--will 
resolve this thing at this point?
    Secretary Card. They're still at the table, which is a good sign; so 
the dialog is continuing.
    The President. You've got several different entities, is a part of 
the problem here. Some seem to think that it can be avoided, and others 
think not.
    Q. But it sounds like, from making the statement to us, that you 
feel pretty pessimistic.
    The President. I feel I cannot tell the American people that I think 
it will be resolved through negotiation as it should be. So I just think 
it's important to get in focus the fact that if there is a strike, it 
ought to be quickly solved by legislation.
    Q. Anything from Capitol Hill whether they would go along with that, 
sir?
    The President. Different reaction from different Members of 
Congress, I'm told.
    Thank you very much for your interest.

                    Note: The President spoke at 11:54 a.m. in the Oval 
                        Office at the White House, following a meeting 
                        with Secretary of Transportation Andrew H. Card, 
                        Jr.