> The Wall Street Journal > Copyright (c) 1999, Dow Jones & Company, Inc. > > Tuesday, May 4, 1999 > > Politics & Policy > > Tour by Commerce Secretary to Sell China-WTO Deal Is Joined by Few >CEOs > By Helene Cooper > Staff Reporter of The Wall Street Journal > >FALL RIVER, Mass. -- The yellow van carrying protesters pursued Commerce >Secretary > William Daley's deluxe motor coach yesterday all the way from Boston to >this city of >defunct textile mills and then on to Rhode Island. On its side was a huge >sign: Free Trade Fat >Cats on Board. > >But actually, there were few fat cats to be found. Abandoned by the chief >executive officers who >pledged to help him sell China's entry into the World Trade Organization to >Congress and the >public, Mr. Daley nonetheless gamely began his five region bus tour to >preach the benefits of >free trade to the common folks. > >Mr. Daley's "National Trade Education Tour" was billed as a chance for U.S. >executives to talk >to workers across the country about the benefits of trade. Last month, >during a news conference >announcing the tour, six corporate chieftains, including Dana Mead of >Tenneco Inc., Michael >Armstrong of AT&T Corp. and Phil Condit of Boeing Co., flanked Mr. Daley, >pledging their >participation. > >Yesterday, however, the only chief executives on the bus were Larry >Liebenow, head of local >upholstery plant Quaker Fabric Corp., and Jack Manning of Boston Capital. >The only >big-company chieftain to be seen yesterday was Ray Gilmartin, CEO of Merck & >Co., who >showed up only to say a few words at a breakfast meeting. > >"I saw my role this morning as one to thank everyone," Mr. Gilmartin said, >when asked why he >and other CEOs weren't joining the tour. "Someone more involved in the >community, like Quaker >Fabric, is better to talk to the local community." > >Aides said Mr. Mead of Tenneco pulled out of the tour because of last week's >announcement of >the company's breakup into two parts, and Mr. Condit never intended to join >this part of the tour, >anyway. More executives may join other legs of the trip, said lobbyists with >the Business >Roundtable, which represents 200 big companies and is partly sponsoring the >tour. > >The U.S. and China are in the final stages of working out a deal that would >let China join the >WTO, a move that amounts to joining the trade world's major leagues. Under >terms of the deal >being negotiated, China would make big concessions in many areas of its >economy, opening >them to competition from abroad. > >Nevertheless, it will be tough to sell such a deal to a skeptical Congress >that is obsessed with >Chinese spying and repression of human rights. The CEOs had signed up to >convince people >outside of Washington that the deal is in America's interest anyway, and >thus put pressure on >lawmakers to approve it. > >Environmental and labor activists trailing the tour were quick to seize on >the corporate pullout as >a signal that Big Business doesn't care about the locals. "I'm not too >surprised," said John >Demeter, one activist. The CEOs, he said, "were probably very busy counting >up their >compensation packages." Of course, those same activists were equally quick >to scoff at the >notion of the tour to begin with. One group, the Citizens Trade Campaign, >called the tour "goofy" >and "self-serving baloney." > >The weak business support highlights a growing concern among Clinton >administration officials >that big business will leave the job of selling a China-WTO agreement to >them. Senior Clinton >officials, from Mr. Daley to Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin to U.S. Trade >Representative >Charlene Barshefsky, all say that corporate America must help sell the >China-WTO deal. If it >doesn't mount a big effort to convince Congress and the American public that >the deal is >important to the country's economic health, the issue will be dead on >arrival in a Republican-led >Congress that has become increasingly hostile to President Clinton's China >policy. > >In particular, Clinton officials want business to help mute criticism from >Senate Majority Leader >Trent Lott (R., Miss.), whose opposition to a China deal could be critical. > >Mr. Daley yesterday took pains not to publicly criticize the missing CEOs. >Still, he said, >"obviously their insight would have been helpful to those who have a >problem" with trade >liberalization. > >There were plenty of people in Fall River with such a problem. While this >mill city has come >back from the 17% unemployment rates of a decade ago, thousands of workers >here have seen >their jobs go overseas. Significantly, the China issue has particular >resonance here because >many textile and apparel workers believe they have lost their jobs to cheap >imports. > >"We're losing our jobs left and right to China," said Suzanne Almeida, a 45- >year-old employee >at a local lingerie mill. Ms. Almeida and about 20 other workers showed up >at Al Macs Diner to >confront Mr. Daley and crew. > >As the tour group munched Portuguese chorizo sandwiches and french fries, >the workers >challenged them for going to Quaker Fabrics, one of Fall River's few >pro-free-trade plants, >instead of visiting one of the numerous mills that favor trade protections. > >Jerry Fishbein, a representative from the Union of Needle Trade Industrial >and Textile >Employees, pinned down Mr. Daley next to a green Formica table in the diner. >"Your system of >liberalizing trade will be devastating to Fall River," he said. Mr. Daley >countered that other plants >should follow the example of Quaker, and start specializing in niche areas >where they don't >compete head-on with cheap imports. > > ---- INDEX REFERENCES ---- > >COMPANY (TICKER): Boeing Co.; AT&T Corp.; Tenneco Inc. (BA T TEN) > >NEWS SUBJECT: General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade; Public-Policy and >Regulatory >Issues; Trade Issues; World Equity Index; Wall Street Journal (GTT PBP TRD >WEI WSJ) > >MARKET SECTOR: Industrial; Technology; Utilities (IDU TEC UTI) > >INDUSTRY: Aerospace; Diversified Industrial; Long Distance Telephone >Providers; >Telecommunications, All; Telephone Systems (ARO IDD LDS TEL TLS) > >PRODUCT: Asian/Pacific News/Features; Defense & Aerospace; >Telecommunications; >Transportation (DAA DDE DTE DTR) > >GOVERNMENT: Commerce Department (COM) > >REGION: China; Far East; North America; New York; Pacific Rim; Texas; United >States; >Eastern U.S.; Southern U.S.; Western U.S.; Washington (CH FE NME NY PRM TX >US USE >USS USW WA) > >LAYOUT CODES: Large Majors; Politics & Policy (LMJ PTC) > >Word Count: 875 >5/4/99 WSJ --- >END OF DOCUMENT > Copr. (C) West 1999 No Claim to Orig. U.S. Govt. >Works ------------------------------- Robert Naiman <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Preamble Center 1737 21st NW Washington, DC 20009 phone: 202-265-3263 fax: 202-265-3647 http://www.preamble.org/ -------------------------------
