Bush Scores Points, Ducks Hot Issues in Labor Speech

President Bush scored points with organized labor today in his first post-election speech to a union audience but avoided any mention of his positions on the Eastern Airlines strike and minimum wage, which have soured labor’s relations with the new Administration.

“I want this door at the White House to stay open,” Bush told about 3,000 delegates representing building trades unions from across the country. “I want to work with you.”

The closest Bush came to discussing his recent differences with labor was when he told the delegates: “There’s a lot more to the relationship between the White House and the labor organizations than one issue or another. . . . We have had honest differences but we agree on goals and what matters is that we make progress on issues of shared concern.”

Labor had several visible confrontations with former President Ronald Reagan on such issues as the firing of striking air traffic controllers and White House opposition to legislation requiring employers to give workers advance notice of plant closings. But labor’s lasting resentment toward Bush’s predecessor stems more from what they considered staunchly anti-union appointments to the National Labor Relations Board.

Seeks to Avoid Animosity

Bush took pains to avoid exciting the labor animosity that flourished during the Reagan years. He praised the already cordial crowd and improved his standing with labor leaders by promising to make NLRB appointments “whose neutrality and integrity are above reproach.”

“My appointments will not be anti-labor or, as I say, anti-business. They will be based on fair trade,” Bush said, as a shout of “Amen” was heard from one Texas delegate in the applauding audience.

“That is indeed a welcome step,” said AFL-CIO spokesman Rex Hardesty.

Bush also praised the group’s patriotism, role in the nation’s economic growth and efforts on behalf of Poland’s Solidarity movement, saying that “wherever the free trade movement is threatened, so too is democracy.”

But noticeably missing from the speech were any direct references to Bush’s promise to veto minimum wage bills that have cleared the House and Senate or his refusal to intervene to block a strike that has grounded Eastern for nearly two months.

Union leaders expressed no disappointment over the omissions.

Wouldn’t Expect Comment

“I wouldn’t expect him to discuss those fronts,” said Hardesty.

“It might have turned the audience (against him) real fast,” said another union official who asked not to be identified.

Bush has said he will veto the minimum wage measures because they would raise the base wage to $4.55 an hour, 30 cents an hour more than the President supports, and do not contain a provision allowing all new employees to be paid a sub-minimum wage for six months. Bush has said such a “training wage” must be part of any minimum wage increase for him to support it.