Kerry urges mediation - Timkin

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Kerry Calls on Bush to Urge Federal Mediation to Prevent Shutdown of Timken Plant in Ohio
1,300 Ohio jobs on the line

May 20, 2004

For Immediate Release
Washington, DC

Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry today called on the Bush administration to urge leaders of the Timken Company and the United Steelworkers of America (USWA) to accept a federal mediator to help bring about a contract settlement and prevent 1,300 jobs from being lost if the company follows through on its plan to shut down its Canton, Ohio plant.

“In Ohio, where 170,000 manufacturing jobs have already been lost,” Kerry said, “urging the parties to accept a federal mediator to help reach a contract settlement is the very least that should be done to save 1,300 jobs and prevent the economic and personal devastation that their loss will have on thousands of families in that community.”
Kerry said he is aware that the Steelworkers union has made a proposal to the company that calls on Timken to make commitments to invest in the Canton facility in return for productivity improvements that could result from changes to work rules, which he said can at least serve as a framework for continuing negotiations.

“The administration should exhaust every potential solution to prevent these jobs from being lost,” Kerry said. “Federal mediation was created to help resolve situations exactly like the impending crisis in Canton.”

The President does not have the authority under law to order federal mediation except in the case of a national emergency, but nothing prevents him from encouraging the parties in a negotiation to accept involvement by the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service.

http://www.johnkerry.com/pressroom/releases/pr_2004_0520a.html

He's telling Bush HOW to use his presidency FOR the people for a change.