Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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August 6,1986 House To Consider Overriding Veto President Reagan on Dec. 17 vetoed the Textile and Apparel Trade Enforcement Act of 1985, and in his veto message offered nothing to help correct the industry’s con tinuing import problems. The House of Rep resentatives immediately moved to bring up the bill again on Aug. 6, 1986, to consider an override. In a statement to the news media immedi ately following the veto, ATMI President E.S. McKissick Jr. expressed the “bitter dis appointment” of the industry and its 2 mil lion employees and said the industry will continue to use every means at its command to bring about fairness and equity in textile and apparel trade. He said this will include legislative, administrative and legal re medies. In his veto message to Congress the Presi dent said he was “deeply sympathetic” ab out the job losses and plant closings. Howev er, there was nothing meaningful in the ac tions he said the government will take to address the problem. Among those actions are: 1) Directing the Secretary of the Treasury to investigate charges that the U.S. govern ment has permitted imports of textiles and apparel to exceed limits agreed upon in in ternational negotiations. He is directed to report back within 60 days, and if evidence of agreement violations are found, he would be asked to recommend changes in existing procedures so that “corrective action” is taken; 2) Directing the U.S. Special Trade Rep resentative to negotiate a new round of Mul tifiber Arrangement talks on terms “at least as favorable” as the present agreements 3) Directing the USTR to consult with the textile and apparel industry during the nego tiations and 4) Requesting that Congress provide an additional $100 million to help retrain and relocate displaced workers from American industries where jobs have been lost as a result of imports. In a statement to the news media, McKis sick said “We have heard proposals to re medy the problem such as the president is suggesting, but they have not worked, and no one should be fooled into thinking they will work now.” With respect to the president's proposals, it was pointed out that the problem with the textile problem lies not so much with im ports which have exceeded agreed upon limits, although that is a small part of the problem, but in the overly generous levels of imports which have been negotiated. The effort to negotiate a new MFA “no less favorable” than at present was viewed as absurd in view of the tremendous surges which have occurred under the existing arrangements. Job retraining and relocation of displaced workers do nothing to prevent job losses in the textile and apparel industry. It is viewed as nothing more than “burial insurance.” Congressional leaders set the Aug. 6 date in order to bring the bill up again in an election year when there could be more sup port for an override. The August date also will be after the MFA is renegotiated, so on-going MFA negotiations could not be used to influence the outcome of the vote. Other legislative opportunities are also being considered, and a decision will be made shortly. In addition, the industry will continue to pressure the administration to administer the existing MFA more effectively and re negotiate a stronger one. The industry also will press for more effective customs regula- Insurance Plan Annual Summary This is a summary of the annual re port for the Clinton Mills Inc. Group Insurance Plan, EIN 57-0783443, for July 1, 1984, to June 30, 1985. The annual report has been filed with the Internal Revenue Service, as required under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA). Insurance Information For the period covered by this report, life, health and temporary disability in come claims were paid by Aetna Life Insurance Company. The total amount paid to Aetna Life, which was required to fund the Plan, was $3,464,807. Your Rights to Additional Information You have the right to receive a copy of the full annual report, or any part there of, on request. Included in the annual report is insurance information pro vided by Aetna Life Insurance Com pany. To obtain a copy of the full annual report, or any part thereof, write to the office of Henry T. Cronic, who is the plan administrator. The charge to cover copying costs will be $1.50 for the full annual report, or $.25 per page for any part thereof. You also have the legally-protected right to examine the annual report at the main office of the plan, Clinton Mills Inc., 600 Academy St., Clinton, S.C. 29325, and at the U.S. Department of Labor in Washington, D.C., or to obtain a copy from the U.S. Department of Labor upon payment of copying costs. Requests to the department should be addressed to Public Disclosure Room, N4677, Pension and Welfare Benefit Programs, U.S. Department of Labor, 200 Constitution Ave., N.W., Washing ton, D.C. 20216. For assistance in obtaining a copy of available information, contact someone in the personnel office in your area. Henry T. Cronic Benefit Plans Administrator Drawer 1215 Clinton, SC 29325 tion enforcement and will move against illegal trade practices. Following is the complete text of the state ment issued to the news media by Mr. McKissick: “The President’s veto comes as a bitter disappointment to the 2 million American fiber, textile and apparel workers across the nation who believe it is the duty of the gov ernment to get fair treatment for Americans and overcome the devastating impact of im ports. “We appreciate the tremendous support of a large majority of Congress for the bill. It reflects the widespread concern of people throughout the nation over the import crises. We regret that the president does not share this view. “We understand more than 3 million peo ple wrote the president asking him not to veto the bill. It is difficult to understand how he ignored the appeal by so many workers whose jobs are threatened by imports. “All of these people cannot be aban doned. We will continue to use every means at our command to bring about fairness and equity in textile and apparel trade in order to save their jobs. This will include legislative, administrative and legal remedies.’’ Clinton Mills Chairman Robert M. Vance stated his position on the president’s action as follows: “It is simplistic to believe that the Repub lican Party is sensitive to the needs of busi ness in America. Four million citizens who believe textile jobs are in jeopardy have not even had their letters to President Reagan responded to. The will of the majority of Congress has been vetoed—the work of this body has been temporarily crushed. Should basic industry be destroyed, and the tax base worn so low that it is unable to carry the military needs of the USA, America would then be the whipping boy of all other coun tries who have grown to be jealous of us.” Vance further noted that textiles and re lated industries will survive through the “Crafted with Pride in the USA” programs and our continued efforts to be competitive. In addition, he added, “We will continue our fight and use everything at our disposal, including legislation, legal action and press ure, on the administration to correct this very unfair position the textile and apparel industry finds itself in. We are very happy to learn that Congress has set Aug. 6,1986, as the date to override the presidential veto. As the inequities that have continued to persist in the MFA, and by not carrying out its provi sions, the attempt to override is warranted. We desperately need in the leadership of our nation people who are sensitive to other world leaders who are sensitive only to their own.” At a Capitol Hill press conference the day after the veto, Rep. Ed Jenkins (D-Ga.), chairman of the Congressional Textile Caucus, and Sen. Strom Thurmond (R- S.C.), chairman of the Textile Steering Com- mmittee, vowed to continue the fight for textile import legislation until relief for the textile industry is assured. By announcing consideration of a veto override on Aug. 6, 1986, — as members launch re-election campaigns and after the MFA negotiations—textile supporters made it plain that the pressure for fair trade for textiles should continue to grow. Jenkins and Thurmond were joined by other key supporters of the textile legislation including Sens. George Mitchell, (D-Maine), John Heinz (D-Pa.), and Reps. Carroll Campbell, (R-S.C.), and Butler Derrick (D- S.C.). Ray Lane recently retired as Bailey Plant Cloth Room superintendent. Ray’s associates in the Cloth Room honored him with a festive dinner and several retirement gifts. Each expressed their appreciation for having had an opportun ity to work with him while he was Cloth Room superintendent. BULK RATE U.S. POSTAGE PAID Clinton, S.C. Permit No. 59