    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1997, Book I)]
    [March 20, 1997]
    [Pages 328-329]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Statement on the Tentative Agreement in the Dispute Between
    American Airlines and the Allied Pilots Association
    March 20, 1997

        I am pleased by the announcement yesterday that the negotiating
    teams for American Airlines and the Allied Pilots Association have
    reached a tentative agreement on their longstanding labor dispute. This
    tentative agreement will be presented on Friday to the APA board of
    directors for approval and subsequent ratification by the union
    membership.
        I want to commend the management of American Airlines and the
    leadership of the Allied Pilots Association for their commitment to each
    other and to the traveling public. I think it speaks well of the parties
    and their intentions that this tentative agreement was reached more than
    5 weeks before the April 28 ``cooling off'' deadline. When labor and
    management work together, as they did here, U.S. industries are

    [[Page 329]]

    better able to maintain their prominent positions in the global
    marketplace.
        I also want to thank Presidential Emergency Board Chairman Robert
    Harris and the other members of the panel, Helen Witt and Anthony
    Sinicropi, for their dedication and hard work. This settlement would not
    have been possible without their leadership and oversight.