    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1997, Book II)]
    [August 19, 1997]
    [Pages 1112-1113]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks on the Tentative Settlement of the United Parcel Service Strike
    and an Exchange With Reporters in Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts
    August 19, 1997

        The President. Good afternoon. I would like to compliment UPS and
    the Teamsters on resolving their differences and agreeing to a new
    contract. I think it is very much in the interest not only of the
    company and its employees but also of all of the people it serves and of
    the United States, and I'm very pleased about it.
        I also want to say a special word of thanks and appreciation to
    Secretary of Labor Alexis Herman, who I believe did a very fine job in
    working with the parties, trying to keep them working together and
    getting back together. I know that she deserves and will get some much-
    needed rest today. But I think it's a good thing for the country, and
    I'm very pleased it's resolved.
        Q. Mr. President, can you walk through your own evolution in this?
    The first 2 weeks were sort of hands off, and then on Saturday you gave
    them a little bit of a nudge, and then by the time you reached Martha's
    Vineyard, it seemed a little more like a push. Why, specifically, did
    you choose to engage at those two moments?
        The President. Well, first of all, the Secretary of Labor had been
    involved with this almost from the beginning. But I thought it was
    important to give the parties a chance to work out their differences.
    And obviously, I was getting reports about where they were. I just
    wanted to--when it was obvious that they were quite close--it's been my
    observation, not just from them but sometimes in our negotiations with
    Congress, for example--sometimes you get very close, and you've got 95
    percent of the issues or 99 percent of the issues resolved, and maybe
    just a little nudge in the right direction helps you go over the top.
    And I was just hoping to do that.
        They did the work, and they deserve the credit. They resolved their
    differences in a way that I think will be good for the company and good
    for the employees.
        Q. Mr. President, is this an outright victory for the labor
    movement?
        The President. I think it's a victory for the proposition that you
    can have a profitable, highly competitive company with good, solid labor
    relations providing good jobs and good benefits for the employees.
    That's what I think it's a victory for. It's not an outright victory if
    you mean it's also a defeat for UPS; I wouldn't characterize it that
    way. I think this company will go forward. It will do real well, and the
    workers will do well. And they've made some important agreements around
    the side about how they're going to work together to be even more
    productive and competitive, so I would say that it is a victory for the
    proposition that you can have good, strong labor relations and treat
    your employees well and make money in this economy of ours. That's what
    I wanted to prove from the time I became President, so I was very
    pleased by it.
        Q. Mr. President, how much of an economic threat would there have
    been if this strike had not been resolved when it was, if it had gone on
    much longer?
        The President. It's hard to say. That would depend upon something
    we'll never know, which is how quickly others could have absorbed the
    capacity. But it could have been very difficult for both the company and
    for its employees. So I think they were both advantaged by making the
    agreement they did before any irreparable harm was done to both sides.
    And that may well have been something they were thinking of.

    The President's Birthday

        Q. On a more personal note, sir, how does it feel to be another year
    older?
        The President. Well, it feels good today. I've had a wonderful time
    here. I had a good day yesterday on the golf course, and this morning I
    got up and Chelsea and I went jogging. That's

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    the longest I've been able to go since I hurt myself. And the three of
    us are just going to spend the day reading and playing games and having
    fun with each other, and then we're going to go to a party tonight. So I
    feel very blessed, and I'm very fortunate to be here. And as far as I
    know, I'm in good health, and the country's doing well. That's the most
    important thing of all. So I'm very happy today, and I have a lot to be
    thankful for.
        Thank you.

    Note: The President spoke at 12:43 p.m. at the Richard Friedman
    residence.