[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1996, Book II)]
[August 2, 1996]
[Pages 1244-1247]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



[[Page 1244]]


Remarks Announcing Measures To Improve Working Conditions in the Apparel 
Industry and an Exchange With Reporters
August 2, 1996

    The President. 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-


[[Page 1245]]

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

    Q. Mr. President, now that Kennedy-Kassebaum appears to be about to 
become the law of the land, I wondered if you think that is enough for 
health care or if there are some goals that you have should you get 
reelected, possibly specific programs that you would try to get 
through--[inaudible].
    The President. Well, first of all, I'm very gratified that it is 
law. And I think that it's going to be the law of the land in no small 
measure because we have had this health care issue on the agenda now for 
3\1/2\ years, and, frankly, because Senator Kennedy has been fighting 
for it for 20 years, ever since his own son was taken ill as a young 
boy.
    And I was talking with Senator Rockefeller, who is also one of our 
longtime leaders, about this this morning. As you know, I also 
recommended in my budget that we take steps to provide for the 
possibility of coverage for people who suffer long periods of 
unemployment and when they're in between jobs and when the insurance 
that they have associated with their previous jobs expires. And so I 
think that is the next step.
    And I think what we should do--I still believe the goal that I had 
to have a system that provides everybody with the opportunity to have 
health insurance coverage, that emphasizes preventive health, that keeps 
inflation in health care at about the general rate of inflation--that 
these are good and honorable goals, and I think we're going to have to 
meet them in a sort of a step-by-step basis. And I think when we get 
Kennedy-Kassebaum in place and see how it works, the new changes may 
tell us what the next steps are. But I think we should begin to focus on 
the problems of unemployed families. And as I said, I've already tried 
to address this to some extent in my budget.
    Q. Mr. President, when do you plan to sign----

Terrorism

    Q. Mr. President, what can you tell us about these reports of 
terrorist training camps in Iran, and what, if anything, do you plan to 
do about it?
    The President. Well, first of all, there are terrorist training 
camps in more than one country in the world, and we are aware of many of 
them in many countries. The question here is whether--who was 
responsible for the killing of the America servicemen in Saudi Arabia? 
And keep in mind, we cannot confirm--I was asked a question by a young 
man this morning--we cannot confirm yet what the cause of the TWA crash 
was, and until we can we shouldn't speculate. But we know that our 
servicemen in Saudi Arabia were killed by a terrorist attack. Who was 
responsible for that? Who supported them in that? And was any nation 
involved in that? These are the questions we have to ask and answer. The 
speculation or even the existence of actual terrorist training camps do 
not answer those specific questions.
    And so until I'm in a position to tell the American people the 
answer to those questions, I think I should tell you what I have said 
all along. Our country has taken a tough line against terrorism. We want 
our allies to help us. We want to have the tools we need here at home to 
prevent as many attacks as possible and to punish people who carry them 
out. We want to make airline safety as safe as we possibly can. And 
that's what we're working on. And then when we find people who have done 
things that are wrong, we will do our best to bring them to justice, as 
you have seen in the successful trials and convictions in the World 
Trade Center bombing and the trial going on involving the Oklahoma City 
bombing.

[[Page 1246]]

Japan-U.S. Trade

    Q. Mr. President, are you concerned that your Trade Representative 
was unable to get an agreement on insurance with Japan despite your 
Wednesday deadline?
    The President. Well, frankly, I'm elated that we got a semiconductor 
agreement. That is a very, very big issue, and very important for us 
because of the enormous comeback American industry's had in that area. I 
thought we would get an insurance agreement. I still think we can. We're 
really not all that far away, and I think we need to keep working at it.
    But I want to congratulate Ambassador Barshefsky on getting the 
semiconductor agreement. And I know that the people in that industry in 
America--there are many, many thousands of good jobs involved in this--
are very happy today.
    Sarah [Sarah McClendon, McClendon News Service]?

Terrorism

    Q. Yes, sir. Aren't we doing some of this training in the use of 
bombs in our own Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps? And we're 
doing it with people who are not treated or tested for psychiatric 
conditions? And isn't some of this coming out from after they get out of 
the services and they are unhappy about things, then they create bombs? 
Our research shows that that's happening.
    The President. Well, for one thing, it is necessary that people in 
our military understand fundamentals--the people in the appropriate 
units in the military understand the fundamentals of how bombs are made 
and how they can be defused and the technology of it. And of course, I 
think the people in the military do the best they can to make sure that 
the rigorous training program that people go through would sort out 
those who are unsuited.
    It is true that some of the people who have the knowledge necessary 
to cause problems for us domestically, in instances of domestic 
terrorism, have been in the military. But I don't know that we can 
compellingly say that there's any higher percentage of people who are 
mentally unbalanced who have been in the military than in any other 
group. And I don't know that there's any sort of screening process that 
the military could adopt that would protect against that. That is 
something that--I think that's one of the ongoing questions they're 
always asking themselves whenever we have an incident not just involving 
a bomb, but if there's something else that a soldier does or a veteran 
does that may seem tied to his or her military service, they look at 
that. But I don't know that there's an easy answer to that.
    Mara [Mara Liasson, National Public Radio]?
    Q. Senator Moynihan yesterday----

Legislative Accomplishments

    Q. [Inaudible]--with this Congress--welfare reform, minimum wage, 
Kassebaum-Kennedy. Isn't this an argument to keep things the way they 
are, with you in the White House, Republicans in the majority, and 
Democrats in the minority of Congress?
    The President. Well, first of all, it's come like pulling teeth 
right here before the election. And it's only come after the American 
people showed that they were bitterly opposed to the extremism that was 
the wont of the Congress. So if--the American people, of course, will 
have to make up their minds, but basically, what we did with the health 
initiative and the minimum wage were plainly Democratic initiatives, as 
well as the major environmental initiatives. In welfare, the two parties 
essentially came together finally. Otherwise, we would have had a 
totally unacceptable bill. So the American people can make up their 
minds.
    I think what they've seen is that all the things that were said 
about the Democrats aren't true. The Democrats have turned out to be 
fiscally responsible, strong on defense, strong on foreign policy, 
strong on welfare, strong on crime, strong on management of the economy, 
and good for health care and education and working families.
    So it seems to me that our party in Congress ought to feel good 
about going out and presenting an image of a modern 21st century 
progressive party and then let the American people make up their mind 
whether they agree with their philosophy or the philosophy of the other 
party. That's what the election will be about.
    Thank you.

Health Care Reform Legislation

    Q. Mr. President, will you sign Kennedy-Kassebaum before going on 
vacation?
    Q. Will Republican leaders be invited to the signing ceremony?

[[Page 1247]]

    The President. Absolutely. They always are. I don't have any 
uniparty signing ceremonies where there are bipartisan support.
    Q. Do they not deserve some credit?
    The President. Absolutely. I'm glad that they voted for it. They 
absolutely do. Anybody who supported any of these measures deserves 
credit for it. I was just answering Mara's question in the other 
context. They absolutely do, and I applaud them for doing it. I'm 
tickled pink that they did it.

Note: The President spoke at 11:22 a.m. in the Rose Garden at the White 
House.